COVID-19 Update 20 September 2021

COVID-19 Update 20 September 2021

The next full update is scheduled for next MONDAY, September 27.

Salem since last update: 47 new cases.
Total: 3,294 confirmed cases in Salem
We now have 53 active cases (60 last week)
The weekly average of active cases in Salem is 63.
1 out of every 9 Salem residents has been infected.
Salem’s new cases per 100K for 14 days: 274 (324 last week)
Salem’s Positivity Rate for the past 2 weeks: 4.2%. (Last week: 6.1%).
Salem’s new cases account for 1.7% of the new cases reported this week. Last week we were responsible for 2.2%. (Salem has 2.2% of NH’s population.)
Fully vaccinated Salem residents: 14,388(48.1%). Change from last week: +63 people (+0.1%) (We had 68 over the past two weeks).
Partially vaccinated Salem residents: 15,570 (52.1%). Change from last week: +171 people (0.6%). (A big jump! We only had 26 over the past two weeks!)

NEW HAMPSHIRE:

New cases of COVID-19 cases in NH this week: 2,776. (2,858 last week)
1 out of every 12 NH residents has been infected.
Of the new cases this week, 52 were healthcare workers (45 last week), and 56 were in long-term care facilities (80 last week). 1 death this week were from long-term care facilities.
Active COVID-19 cases in NH: 3,769 (3,437 last week; 155 active cases on June 28.)
Recovered in NH this week: 2,381. (2,381 last week.)
State Level of Transmission: Substantial in all counties
New patients hospitalized this week because of COVID-19: 7 (13 last week.)
Current patients hospitalized because of COVID-19: 139 (154 one week ago)
New admissions to ICU this week because of COVID-19: 0 (4 last week)
New deaths attributed to COVID-19 reported in NH this week: 15 (13 last week.)
Total NH individuals fully vaccinated: About 54.3% of our population, a one-week increase of 0.1%. 59.7% are partially vaccinated, a one-week increase of 0.5%.

“Choice has consequence. If your personal choice harms someone else, you are responsible for that harm.” “We live in community with others; as such, we have a responsibility – both moral and patriotic – to protect the public health.”

On Monday, September 13, 2021, DHHS announced 500 new positive test results for COVID-19 for Saturday, September 11. Saturday’s results include 352 people who tested positive by PCR test and 148 who tested positive by antigen test. DHHS also announced 728 cases from Friday, September 10 (473 by PCR test and 255 by antigen test). Cases from Sunday, September 12 will be included in tomorrow’s COVID-19 update. There are now 3,437 current COVID-19 cases diagnosed in New Hampshire.

On Tuesday, September 14, 2021, DHHS announced 227 new positive test results for COVID-19 for Monday, September 13, results include 102 people who tested positive by PCR test and 125 who tested positive by antigen test. DHHS also announced 195 cases from Sunday, September 12 (118 by PCR test and 77 by antigen test). There are now 3,519 current COVID-19 cases diagnosed in New Hampshire. DHHS also reported a “Deaths Pending Investigation Confirmed as COVID-19 Related: The following deaths occurred more than two weeks ago and were recently confirmed as related to COVID-19.” One Male, aged 60-69, from Strafford County, died the week of June 7. [The 195 cases from Sunday, which should have been reported on Monday, are included in the comparisons for this week vs. last week.]

On Wednesday, September 15, 2021, DHHS announced 549 new positive test results for COVID-19. Today’s results include 361 people who tested positive by PCR test and 188 who tested positive by antigen test. Of the results reported today:

09/13: 124 new cases today, for an updated total of 350 cases
09/14: 425 new cases
There are now 3,726 current COVID-19 cases diagnosed in New Hampshire.

On Thursday, September 16, 2021, DHHS announced 614 new positive test results for COVID-19. Today’s results include 376 people who tested positive by PCR test and 238 who tested positive by antigen test. Of the results reported today:

09/14: 53 new cases today, for an updated total of 478 cases
09/15: 561 new cases
There are now 4,030 current COVID-19 cases diagnosed in New Hampshire.

On Friday, September 17, 2021, DHHS announced 388 new positive test results for COVID-19. Today’s results include 296 people who tested positive by PCR test and 92 who tested positive by antigen test. There are now 4,173 current COVID-19 cases diagnosed in New Hampshire.

On Monday, September 20, 2021, DHHS announced 186 new positive test results for COVID-19 for Sunday, September 19. Today’s results include 150 people who tested positive by PCR test and 36 who tested positive by antigen test. DHHS also announced 435 cases from Friday, September 17 (349 by PCR and 86 by antigen test), and 409 cases from Saturday, September 18 (311 by PCR and 98 by antigen test). There are now 3,769 current COVID-19 cases diagnosed in New Hampshire.

Each day, DHHS says that “Test results for previous days are still being processed and updated case counts for prior days will be reflected on the COVID-19 interactive dashboard.” And, “Several cases are still under investigation. Additional information from ongoing investigations will be incorporated into future COVID-19 updates.” Percentages shown are % of new cases.

• • • • • • DIAGNOSTIC TESTS IN NH • • • • • •

Total people who have tested positive: 115,401 (112,326) last week)
New positive cases this week by my math: 3,075 (2,610 last week)
New positive cases per DHHS: 2,776 (2,858 last week)
Rockingham County (22.78% of NH’s population)
- Total positive tests in Rockingham County: 27,930 (27,341 last week)
- New cases this week: 589 (576 last week)
- % of this week’s cases from Rockingham County: 19.2%

• • • • • NEW CASES • • • • • •

DHHS reports that the new cases this week (Tuesday to Sunday) reside in the following counties and NH’s two major cities:

Belknap: 176; was 158
Carroll: 110; was 118
Cheshire: 176; was 163
Coos: 97; was 41
Grafton: 159; was 80
Manchester: 437; was 356
Merrimack: 193; was 209
Nashua: 334; was 309
Rest of Hillsborough: 133; was 111
Rockingham County: 559; was 580
Strafford: 317; was 251
Sullivan: 118; was 72

The county of residence is being determined for 62 new cases. Several cases are still under investigation. Additional information from ongoing investigations will be incorporated into future COVID-19 updates.

• • • • • ACTIVE CASES • • • • • •

NH has 3,769 active cases. Last week we had 3,437. We were down to 214 cases as recently as June 28.
All counties have active cases: (Current vs. Last week)
- Belknap: 214 (210 last week)
- Carroll: 154 (143)
- Cheshire: 258 (210)
- Coos: 113 (55)
- Grafton: 175 (114)
- Manchester: 227 (255)
- Merrimack: 431 (415)
- Nashua: 160 (154)
- Rest of Hillsborough: 545 (470)
- Rockingham: 719 (762)
- Strafford: 397 (317)
- Sullivan: 145 (88)
- Unknown: 196 (196)
140 communities now have 5 or more active cases, accounting for 3,627 (96.2%) of the 3,769 total active cases.

• • • • • CUMULATIVE CASES • • • • • •

1 out of every 9 Salem residents has been infected (1:10 three weeks ago)
1 out of every 11 residents of Rockingham County (1:12 last week)
1 out of every 12 residents of NH have been infected (1:13 two weeks ago)

• • • • • • RECOVERED • • • • • •

Total recovered: 110,174 (107,446 last week)
Recovered this week: 1,492 (920 last week)
Percentage of diagnosed cases that have recovered: 95.5% (95.7% last week; 98.3% in late July.)

• • • • • COMMUNITY TRANSMISSION • • • • • •

Recent CDC recommendations are based on Community Transmissions.

Per NH Department of Health and Human Services some time ago: The overall level of community transmission is defined using three metrics. A community is then assigned an overall level based on the highest-level determination for any specific metric. NH Metrics are:

New Cases per 100k over 14 days: Scale: Minimal: <50; Moderate: 50 – 100; Substantial: >100.
New Hospitalizations per 100k over 14 days: Scale: Minimal: <10; Moderate: 10 – 20; Substantial: >20.
Average PCR Test Positivity Rate over 7 days: Scale: Minimal: <5%; Moderate: 5% – 10; Substantial: >10%

More recently, they stopped the hospital metric, and now only report the New Cases per 100K, and Average PCR Test Positivity Rate.

NH Level of Transmission: Substantial (Last week: Substantial)
NH New Cases per 100K over 14 days: 387 (373 last week)

7-Day Total Test Positivity Rate: 5.0% (5.9% last week)

Every county in NH, as well as Manchester and Nashua, are at Substantial risk for community transmission.

Cases per 100K residents:

NH: 542 (NH last week: 373)
Belknap: 464 (516 last week)
Carroll: 447 (440 last week)
Cheshire: 437 (390 last week)
Coos: 269 (269 last week)
Grafton: 264 (216 last week)
Manchester: 362 (343 last week)
Merrimack: 425 (394 last week)
Nashua: 272 (271 last week)
Rest of Hillsborough excluding Manchester and Nashua: 369 (335 last week)
Rockingham: 367 (356 last week)
Strafford: 451 (350 last week)
Sullivan: 433 (290 last week)

Positivity Rate:

NH: 6.8% (was 5.9% last week)
Belknap: 6.8% (8.1% last week)
Carroll: 6.7% (7.8% last week)
Cheshire: 3.1% (4.2% last week)
Coos: 13.1% (8.7% last week)
Grafton: 1.6% (1.7% last week)
Manchester: 4.0% (6.1% last week)
Merrimack: 5.8% (6.8% last week)
Nashua: 5.1% (4.5% last week)
Rest of Hillsborough excluding Manchester and Nashua: 5.4 (5.7% last week)
Rockingham: 5.4% (7.3% last week)
Strafford: 5.0% (7.3% last week)
Sullivan: 5.5% (5.7% last week)

There are 109 NH communities with a positivity rate of more than 0. (120 a week ago). There are 108 communities with a positivity rate higher than 2%. (118 a week ago). 80 communities have more than 5% (98 a week ago). 26 communities have a positivity rate of more than 10%. (48 a week ago.)

• • • • • • HOSPITALIZATIONS IN NH • • • • • •

Currently hospitalized: 139 (Last week: 154)
Staffed hospital beds available: 16.8% (16.2% last week)
Total hospitalized patients: 1,751
New people hospitalized from NH: 7 (Last week: 13)
Percentage of those who have been infected that have been hospitalized: 1.5%
Total admitted to ICU: 517
New ICU admissions this week: 0 (4 last week)
Staffed adult ICU beds available: 17.6% (Last week: 9.1%)
Total hospitalized patients from Rockingham County: 378
New hospitalized patients from Rockingham County: 0 since last week
Ventilators available: 79.9% (75.6% last week)

• • • • • • DEATHS IN NH • • • • • •

Total fatalities in NH associated with COVID-19: 1,458
Lives lost this week: 15
Lives lost last week: 13
Lives lost from those in Long-term care settings: 0
Persons over 60 years of age who died this week: 12
Persons under 60 years of age who died this week: 3
NH Residents diagnosed with COVID-19 that died: 1.26%
Total lives lost in Rockingham County: 283
Lives lost in Rockingham County this week: 4

• • • • • • CHANGES BY AGES • • • • • •

(Totals showing changes since last Monday.)

0-9: New Infections: 7246 (+371); Hospitalizations: 16, (+-1); Deaths: 0, (+0)
10-19: New Infections: 14741 (+615); Hospitalizations: 14, (+0); Deaths: 0, (+0)
20-29: New Infections: 22719 (+486); Hospitalizations: 41, (+0); Deaths: 1, (+0)
30-39: New Infections: 17223 (+450); Hospitalizations: 78, (+1); Deaths: 7, (+0)
40-49: New Infections: 15047 (+326); Hospitalizations: 134, (+2); Deaths: 16, (+0)
50-59: New Infections: 17220 (+366); Hospitalizations: 250, (+3); Deaths: 44, (+3)
60-69: New Infections: 11256 (+271); Hospitalizations: 391, (+1); Deaths: 154, (+3)
70-79: New Infections: 5520 (+109); Hospitalizations: 422, (+0); Deaths: 351, (+2)
80+: New Infections: 4356 (+75); Hospitalizations: 405, (+1); Deaths: 885, (+7)
Unknown: New Infections: 73 (+6); Hospitalizations: 0, (+0); Deaths: 0, (+0)

New Infections in the Past 4 Weeks vs. All NH Cases

0-9: 16.3% vs. 12.6% (+4.4%)
10-19: 16.4% vs. 19.8% (+3.7%)
20-29: 15.6% vs. 14.9% (-3.4%)
30-39: 11.9% vs. 13.1% (+0.7%)
40-49: 12.6% vs. 15% (-1.2%)
50-59: 9.7% vs. 9.8% (-2.4%)
60-69: 4.2% vs. 4.8% (-0.1%)
70-79: 2.6% vs. 3.8% (-0.6%)
80+: 0.1% vs. 0.1% (-1.2%)
Unknown: 99.9% vs. 100% (0%)

Additional Age Stats

833 children under 18 are included in this week’s new cases. (580 last week)
30.0% of new cases announced by DHHS this week are kids under 18 years old. (20.3% last week; 19.4% two weeks ago.)
School Dashboard: I continue to question the accuracy of the School Dashboard. I have heard of cases affecting Salem students at Lancaster, but these are still not reflected on this dashboard. 1 case at Salem High School has been reported.
Under 60: 2,614 new cases this week; 5 hospitalizations, 3 deaths
Last week: 2,190 new cases; 7 hospitalizations, 3 deaths
60+: 455 new cases; 2 hospitalizations; 12 deaths
Last week: 420 new cases; 6 hospitalizations; 10 deaths

• • • • • • Institutional Outbreaks in NH • • • • • •

NH DHHS reported 12 institutional outbreaks on Thursday, Sept. 2. Four are new this week. No institutions were removed from the outbreak list this week. The outbreaks, with changes from last week, are:

Alpine Health Center: 32 residents (+13), 13 staff (+1) and 5 deaths (+3)
Bellamy Field Assisted Living: 3 residents, 0 staff, 0 deaths (new to list this week)
Carriage Hill Assisted Living: 8 residents, 4 staff (new to list this week)
Colonial Poplin Nursing & Rehabilitation: 8 residents, 4 staff (+2)
Epsom Health Center: 7 residents, 8 staff (no change for 2 weeks)
Federal Correctional Institution in Berlin: 36 residents, 6 staff (no change from last week)
Laconia Rehabilitation Center: 20 residents, 10 staff, 4 deaths (no change from last week)
Maple Wood Cheshire County Nursing Home: 2 residents, 1 staff, 2 deaths (no change from last week)
Pleasant View Nursing Home: 3 residents, 0 staff (new to list this week)
Ridgewood Center: 10 residents, 0 staff (new to list this week)
Rockingham County Nursing Home and Rehab: 4 residents (+2), 6 staff (+2), 1 death
Windham Terrace Assisted Living: 6 residents (+2), 2 staff (+1)
All other outbreaks, which can be seen here, were closed as of this outbreak update.

• • • • • • Vaccinations in NH • • • • • •

NH DHHS reports 761,222 (54.3%) people are fully vaccinated, an increase of 2,346 people (0.1%) since last week. Last week the increase was 1,285 people.
839,134 (59.7%) NH residents have been partially vaccinated, an increase of 7,006 (0.5%) people since last week. Last week the increase was 1,151 people.

• • • • • • VARIANTS IN NH • • • • • •

Per WMUR, as of Sept 13, NH had:

Number of people diagnosed with COVID-19: 115,401 (112,326 last week)
Number of B.1.1.7 variant (Alpha; UK) cases: 1,261 (1,255 last week)
Number of B.1.351 variant (Beta; South Africa) cases: 2 (No change)
Number of P.1 variant (Gamma; Brazil) cases: 203 (203 last week)
Number of B.1.617.2 variant (Delta; India) cases: 853 (was 654 last week)

Earlier reports included the B.1.427 & B.1.429 (Epsilon; California) but they have not been included for some time. The Mu variant is not reported here, either, although

These are not simply numbers. We must not forget that these are all someone’s husband or wife, mother or father, sister or brother, son or daughter, friend or neighbor.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Hello, Salem!

Here are some random thoughts from this past week:

Pending Legislation in the NH House Pertaining to COVID-19:

Here’s an important article by State Rep. David Meuse, which he titled, “Extreme Legislation Will Prolong the Pandemic, Not End It.” Rep. Meuse shares that “the legislative filing period for the New Hampshire House of Representatives for the 2022 session ended last week with a flurry of bills that will tie the hands of public health officials when it comes to ending the COVID pandemic and when it comes to fighting communicable diseases in the future.”

DEATH RATES

COVID-19 death rates are quickly rising in these states: As of Saturday, Maine was #1, with 4 deaths per day, a 275% increase in two weeks. NH was #12, with an average of 3 deaths per day, and increase of 75% in two weeks. (The only other New England state in this list was Rhode Island, in 4^th position, up 125%.

DELTA VARIANT (B.1.617.2)

According to the CDC, the Delta variant was responsible for 99.1% of all new cases for the 4-week period ending August 28.

“NEW” VARIANTS

“For the C.1.2 variant [or Mu or any other new variant] to become dominant it will have to outcompete with Delta. That will mean increased transmissibility, being able to bind to human host cells and infect people quicker than Delta currently does.”

Mu Variant (B.1.621)

On Sept 10, Dr. Fauci said that the prevalence of the mu variant is “extremely low” in the U.S., accounting for 0.5% of new cases. It has been found in every state. As of Sept 13, Mu had been found in 3-4% of all cases in Alaska, 1% in Hawaii, and 3% of the Virgin Islands. 43% of the cases identified across the world are in the US.
The Mu variant reached a peak in the United States in late June 2021 and has steadily declined since then, according to the CDC. At its peak, Mu made up less than 5% of all variants circulating in the United States. Currently, Mu makes up less than 1% of all COVID-19 cases in the United States.
Q&A: How Concerned Should We Be About the Mu Variant? Answers here.
4 Things to Know About the Mu Variant. Story here.
‘Mu’ Is the Latest COVID Variant—Here Are the Symptoms to Look Out For
Vaccine Resistance to Mu Variant May Enforce Full Lockdown. United Kingdom story here (for now).

C.1.2 Variant

I don’t see much new about the C.1.2 variant this week, and that’s GOOD news!
As of Sept 10, Dr. Fauci reported that there have been no cases of C.1.2 identified in the US.

VACCINES

Some Vaccines Last a Lifetime. Here’s Why Covid-19 Shots Don’t.
COVID-19 Vaccines Effective Against Delta Variant – How Pfizer, Moderna and J&J Compare. Story here.

Vaccine Breakthrough:

24 fully vaccinated people in NH died from COVID-19 as surge goes on. Story here. That’s 5.8% of the deaths from January 20 to Sept 17. Two weeks earlier the count was 11, representing 3%. During that time there were 35 confirmed breakthrough cases. (6.2% of all hospitalizations).
Why are there so many vaccinated people in hospital? (It’s actually a good thing!)

Additional suggested reading:

What Happens If You Get Your Flu Shot And COVID Booster At The Same Time? Story here.
COVID-19 kills Americans at a rate of 1 in 500, reported by Fox News

My next update is scheduled for next Monday. In the meantime, stay safe, and always, be kind.

~Bonnie

FINDING INFORMATION:

The State lists information on where to get vaccinated, where to get tested, and what to do if you test positive or were exposed to COVID on their website.

COVID-19 SYMPTOMS – Updated early September

Concerns continue to grow for the Delta variant of COVID-19, which now accounts for 93% of all new COVID-19 infections. Descriptions of symptoms have been updated:

Ranking of Symptoms for Covid-19 Infection in the Unvaccinated

Headache
Sore Throat
Runny Nose
Fever
Persistent cough

Loss of smell now comes in at number 9, and shortness of breath is way down the list at number 30.

Ranking of Symptoms for Covid-19 Infection in the Partially Vaccinated

Headache
Runny Nose
Sore throat
Sneezing
Persistent Cough

Sneezing, which was never thought to be a symptom in the original Covid strain, is now ranked more common than a cough, for a reported symptom in those with only one dose of the vaccine.

Ranking of Symptoms for Covid-19 Infection in the Fully Vaccinated

Headache
Runny Nose
Sneezing
Sore throat
Loss of smell

A cough ranks 8 on the list for fully vaccinated people, and a fever ranks 12. Shortness of breath is way down the list at number 29.

Breakthrough COVID-19 symptoms:

While some vaccinated people are getting COVID, it is still rare, and 99.9% of all recent hospitalizations and deaths associated with COVID-19 are people who are not vaccinated.
CDC reports that 79% of those who are found to have breakthrough infections have a cough, headache, sore throat, myalgia and fever.
NBC says approximately 1 in 900 vaccinated people have had breakthrough infections. The vast majority of those had mild or no symptoms.