COVID-19 Update May 19 – Bonnie4Salem

COVID-19 Update May 19

Salem: 213 confirmed cases, 118 active cases.

One more Salem resident was diagnosed with COVID-19, bringing the total up to 213. 72 people out of every 10,000 Salem residents have been diagnosed with this virus. More than half of those here in Salem that have been infected are still waiting to recover.

DHHS announced that there were 69 new positive test results for COVID-19, including two children under the age of 18, for a total of 3,721 cases. (When comparing the number of cases announced yesterday and today, I also come up with 69new cases; the first time we’ve agreed in over a week). 20 of the new cases were in Rockingham County. DHHS says that community-based transmission continues to occur in the State.

There were another 15 new hospitalized cases in NH today, bringing the total of those hospitalized to 368 (10% of all confirmed cases); nearly one-third of all those who have been hospitalized (105) are still in the hospital. The only other day when NH had this many new hospitalizations was April 15.

Sadly, today NH DHHS announced that ten more people have died from COVID-19. All have been over 60 years of age, including the three men from Rockingham County. The loss of these people brings NH’s total fatalities to 182 people. 5% of those NH residents who have been diagnosed with COVID-19 have died.

I’m looking for words to encourage you. However, with this many people who are sick enough to require hospitalization, and this many people who have lost their lives to COVID-19, all on the same day, words fail me. Please, my friends, stay safe, and always, be kind.

Key points covered below in today’s report:

Unemployment blues? You aren’t alone.
Questions arise about no-bid contracts in the disbursement of COVID Relief Money
Executive Council wants transparency and accountability
NH Lawmakers Request Declaratory Judgment in Lawsuit Over Governor’s Emergency Spending Powers
More NH Deaths to come?
More PPE arrived in NH.
Update on the Governor’s Economic Reopening Task Force
Potential Class Action Suit against Planet Fitness
Housing Crisis
Reopening a business? Flush the water!

Click on the calendar to enlarge
https://www.bonnie4salem.us/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/may19-calendar.jpg

Q: How much testing is NH doing in comparison to our neighboring states?

A: We aren’t doing enough tests!
WHY???

On April 19, this was posted on Facebook:

NHPR has charts. Lots of charts!
If you want more than what I’m providing, they can be found at NHPR’s website.

COVID Symptom Tracker: This is a project of Mass General Hospital. In the absence of proper testing, this may be the best way of tracking how we are doing. I’m keeping it near the top, so I’ll remember to log in each day.
https://covid.joinzoe.com/us?fbclid=IwAR2IsoxZ9RBKC4uPQscKiuUUTJCA3cCt3dUr9tjNSsFqOU1rv10jmysmt4Y

Today’s COVID-19 Statistics:

Salem’s confirmed cases:

March 30 (Range 10-19)
March 31 (Range 20+)
April 3: 25 cases (Range 20+)
April 6: 33 cases (+8 in 3 days)
April 8: 20+ cases
April 9: 20-49
April 10: Over 50
April 23: 116
April 27: 144
April 28: 143 (Huh? Less than yesterday? Triple checked!)
April 30: 146
May 1: 154
May 2: 162
May 3: 173
May 4-5: 175
May 6: 178; 94 active
May 7: 186; 101 active
May 8: 189; 103 active
May 9: 191; 101 active
May 10: 191; 100 active
May 11: 193; 102 active
May 12: 195; 103 active
May 13: 197; 104 active
May 14: 201; 108 active
May 15: 206; 112 active
May 16: 211; 117 active
May 17: 211; 116 active
May 18: 212; 117 active
May 19: 213, 118 active

NH Hot Spots (As of Saturday, May 16. The increase is from last Saturday, May 9.)
NH has 13 NH municipalities that have more than 50 confirmed cases.

Manchester: 819 (+149); 73 per 10K residents; 528 current
Nashua: 323 (+40); 36 per 10K residents; 188 current
Derry: 267; (+26); 80 cases per 10K residents; 184 current
Salem: 211 (+20); 71 cases per 10K residents; 117 current

Bedford: 130 (+33); 57 cases per 10K; 94 current
Concord: 78 (+15); 18 cases per 10K; 48 current
Dover: 89 (+8); 28 cases per 10K; 51 current
Franklin: 58 (+1); 67 cases per 10K; 50 current
Goffstown: 67 (+44); 37 cases per 10K; 48 current
Hudson: 70 (+8); 27 cases per 10K; 46 current
Londonderry: 104 (+14); 40 cases per 10K; 66 current
Milford: 76 (+5); 47 cases per 10K; 62 current
Portsmouth: 57 (+9); 26 cases per 10K; 34 current

All other municipalities have less than 50 cases. All of the other municipalities with 20-49 cases are geographically south of Concord/Rochester, and east of Concord/Milford, except for Franklin.

Counties (As of Sat., May 16. Increases from last Saturday, May 9.)

Hillsborough (inc. Manchester and Nashua): 1,723 (+330); 41 per 10K residents
Rockingham (inc. Salem & Derry): 1,095 (+131); 35 per 10K

About 79% of all of those in NH who have tested positive to COVID-19 live in these two counties.

Our neighboring towns:

Methuen on May 16: 777 (+92); 153 confirmed cases per 10K residents. 376 recovered (+101). 37 deaths (+5)
Lawrence on May 15: 2,264 (+207). 307 cases per 10K residents. 99 deaths (+4)
Haverhill on May 13: 950 cases up 117 from May 6. 148 cases per 10K; was 130 a week ago.

If more people were tested, the numbers would be higher.
Without better testing and reporting, we can’t know what our real numbers are.

We need proper testing to fight COVID-19

The NH Division of Public Health Services, Bureau of Infectious Disease Control, has announced a Weekly Summary Report, with more details than are provided in the daily reports from the Department of Health & Human Services. Today, May 7 the NH DHHS has issued its “weekly” report for the week ending May 4. [This is the first weekly report since the week ending April 27, which was issued the same day.].

As of May 4, 713 healthcare workers have been infected (27.6% of all confirmed cases). 24 of the medical care workers were hospitalized; one died.

More women have tested positive than men by about 11%. However, approximately 60% of the hospitalizations and 60% of the deaths are men.

18 kids under 9 years have tested positive. 19% of those infected are 50-59 years old, the largest age group. Those who are 30-39, 40-49, and 60-69 are each 13-14% of the cases. 20% of the confirmed cases are 70 or older, however, these age groups make up almost 40% of the cases, and 85% of the deaths.

Race/Ethnicity: Although 90% of NH’s population is white; they only account for 76.4% of the confirmed infections, 82% of the hospitalizations, and 91.5% of the deaths. Hispanic/Latino make up 3.9% of the population, but 7.4% of the infections, 7.8% of the hospitalizations, and 6.8% of the deaths. Blacks/African Americans are 1.4% of the population, and 5.4% of the infections, 3.7% of hospitalizations, and 1.7% of the deaths. Asians are 3.0% of the population, and 4.1% of the cases; no Asians from NH have died. All other races are 1.8% of the population, and 7.7% of the population, 2.4% of hospitalizations, and 1.7% of deaths.

Persons in Hillsborough County, including Manchester and Nashua, make up 44.7% of all infections, 46.5% of hospitalizations, and 46.5% of the deaths. Persons in Rockingham County (Salem and Derry) make up 33.9% of the total infections, 31.1% of the hospitalizations, and 32.6% of all deaths. The third most impacted county is Merrimack (Concord), which only has 7.7% of all infections.

NH News relating to COVID-19

Unemployment blues? You aren’t alone.

NH unemployment hits record 16.3% in wake of COVID-19 pandemic. More than 100,000 more Granite Staters are unemployed. More.

Questions about no-bid contracts in the disbursement of COVID Relief Money

Gov. Chris Sununu has authorized spending millions on New Hampshire’s COVID-19 relief efforts in recent weeks, using powers he established through a state of emergency declaration two months ago. He’s done so without the oversight typically provided by lawmakers and the Executive Council. Recently disclosed state contracts show that Sununu has authorized several no-bid, retroactive deals worth hundreds of thousands of dollars to political benefactors, without the traditional outside approval. Sununu included the contracts on the Executive Council’s agenda this week, but simply as “informational items,” and not requiring the standard up-or-down vote from the five-member council. The new contracts are almost certain to heighten tension between Sununu, a two-term Republican, and Democratic leaders in Concord, who say the governor is failing to provide enough information about how he’s doling out more than $1 billion in federal aid. Read more.

Executive Council wants transparency and accountability
Two weeks ago the Executive Council asked the Governor for transparency and accountability regarding the details about the intent of the spending of the Cares Act and state money. In his press conference on Monday, the governor reported that he had provided the Executive Council with 250+ pages of info in preparation for their meeting on Wednesday morning. You can listen to the Exec Council as they meet with the Governor tomorrow ( Wednesday, May 20th) at 10 am by dialing 1-800-356-8278; pin: 125563#.

NH Lawmakers Request Declaratory Judgment in Lawsuit Over Governor’s Emergency Spending Powers

Lawmakers suing Gov. Chris Sununu over the spending of federal COVID-19 funds contend the governor seeks to bar legislators and taxpayers from contesting any illegal actions on his part in the courts. Legislators are contesting the governor’s use of emergency powers to bypass the need for Legislative Fiscal Committee oversight. Under NH law, only the Fiscal Committee is authorized to approve of the acceptance and allocation of federal funds. Read more.

More NH Deaths to come?

A closely watched model predicts more NH deaths. Read more.

More PPE arrived in NH.

A new delivery of 640,000 gowns arrived in New Hampshire on Monday night, thanks to the help of local inventor Dean Kamen, More.

Update on the Governor’s Economic Reopening Task Force

The panel has made recommendations camps, museums, weddings, and baseball. The proposals now have to be approved by the Dept. of Public Health and Governor Sununu. Read more. The task force is considering reopening kids sports, acupuncture, bowling, and movies. Read more.

Potential Class Action Suit against Planet Fitness

Planet Fitness is facing a potential class action lawsuit filed by a member who alleges the New Hampshire-based gym chain charged membership fees despite the facilities closing their doors due to the coronavirus pandemic. Read more.

Housing Crisis

A perfect storm is brewing for the state’s housing market due to the COVID-19 pandemic’s effect on the state’s economy.“We are on the brink of an eviction crisis. A perfect storm is coming together from a number of sources.” Read more.

Reopening a business? Flush the water!

State water regulators say New Hampshire businesses may need to flush their pipes as they reopen for the first time since March. Read more.

Salem Government

The Town of Salem’s Emergency Operations Center Team (EOC) will be making weekly reports most Monday evening at 7:00. Their reports can be seen at http://sctv-17.com/CablecastPublicSite/?channel=1

Find other Salem Government board meetings: https://www.townofsalemnh.org/boards

To watch past or live viewings:

Comcast TV Channel 23

http://sctv-17.com/CablecastPublicSite/?channel=1

https://livestream.com/salemnh

https://www.facebook.com/sctv17

State Representation:
Salem has nine State Representatives. If you are having issues connected to COVID-19, they have access to the people who can get you the help you need. You can find contact info for our reps here: http://gencourt.state.nh.us/house/members/default.aspx

Our Senator, Chuck Morse, can be contacted at Chuck.Morse@leg.state.nh.us His Concord office phone is 603.271.3207.

Disclaimer:

NH scientist and politician, Mindi Messmer, PG, CG wrote on her Facebook page: “… The testing penetration is so low in NH … I don’t want to give the false impression that we know what’s going on in NH.”

I’ll add to that by sharing that my numbers are computed based on reports from NH Department of Human Services, and, on way too many occasions, their numbers simply don’t make sense. , but have had no response. They have been told that there are several times that they have had obvious errors, and I’ve asked for clarification, but I’ve had no response. I do not know how much we can trust these numbers, and how much we can rely on decisions based on statistics riddled with errors.

On April 8, the National Academy of Sciences reported that 16 out of 51 tests were inaccurate. (false negatives). Others also have concerns about both false negatives and false positives.

Please keep these ideas in mind as you review the information on this page or any other page.

Resources to help in these challenging times:

Have Questions?

NH residents can dial the state’s COVID-19 hotline at 2-1-1 or 603-271-4496 for answers to questions related to the outbreak and to be directed to available resources for help.

Do YOU think you have COVID-19?

To report suspected cases, contact the Bureau of Infectious Disease Control at 603-271-4496, (603-271-5300 for after hours), or nhbidc@dhhs.nhs.gov.

The IRS has released its new app to track stimulus payments, “Get My Payment .” which had been scheduled to be released on April 17. Expect to wait. (And possibly, like me, be disappointed.) If your info isn’t available today, try again tomorrow, as info is going to be updated every night.

Resource Compilations:

From Congresswoman Annie Kuster: A list of many resources, including Keeping Safe from COVID-19; New Hampshire Specific COVID-19 Information; Direct Payment to Granite Staters (Economic Impact Payments); Support for Small Businesses; Unemployment Assistance; Sexual Assault/Domestic Violence Survivors; Student Loans; Taxes; Traveling Internationally; Veterans. https://kuster.house.gov/covid-19

Mental Health Resources, compiled by Jan Schmidt, Alderman and State Rep in Nashua. http://janschmidt4ward1.com/uncategorized/free-online-meetings-and-virtual-platforms/

How You Can Help Others:

Stay home, wash hands, wear cloth masks in public, check on neighbors

Donate food: NH Food Bank: https://www.nhfoodbank.org or call 669-9725

United Way: http://uwnh.org

Donate blood: https://www.redcross.org or call 1-800-RED-Cross

COVID-19 Response in New Hampshire: https://volunteernh.org/covid-19-response/

Watch out for the kids. Child abuse reports are down, because they aren’t out where they can be observed. If you suspect child abuse call Salem Police Department (603) 893-1911 or the NH child abuse hotline at DCYF (800) 894-5533. You could also go to https://knowandtell.org. In an immediate emergency, dial 911. DHHS has offered a sheet, “Supporting Child and Family Wellbeing during the COVID-19 Emergency:” https://www.dhhs.nh.gov/dcyf/documents/family-wellbeing-during-covid-19.pdf

Masks:

There is no excuse for not having a mask!!!

How to make and how to wear: https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/prevent-getting-sick/diy-cloth-face-coverings.html

Directions for a no-sew mask (perhaps using the coffee filter, as suggested by the CDC?) http://blog.japanesecreations.com/no-sew-face-mask-with-handkerchief-and-hair-tie

I found another option for a new pattern for a no-sew mask, using a t-shirt, and this one with several options.

Mask materials: https://www.huffpost.com/entry/best-coronavirus-face-mask-materials-new-study_l_5e99b576c5b6a92100e63129

A tip on how to make any mask (except N95) more efficient. https://www.npr.org/sections/goatsandsoda/2020/04/22/840146830/adding-a-nylon-stocking-layer-could-boost-protection-from-cloth-masks-study-find

I found another good mask video, although I believe that coffee filters are not being recommended any more; they make breathing too hard. It is now in the resource section at the bottom of every report.https://nbclim-f.akamaihd.net/i/Prod/NBCU_LM_VMS/635/99/DIT_20OTS_20NAT_20FEAT_20GIAT_20DIY_20FACE_20MASKS_20040520_20JD_20REV_202_20with_20L3__,935446,886827,037719,116849,460519,061449,.mp4.csmil/master.m3u8

Salem:

Free meals for Salem kids under 18: https://sau57.org/covid19/meals

Town of Salem COVID-29 Info: https://www.townofsalemnh.org/home/covid-19-information

COVID-19 Salem Community Hotline & Email: https://www.townofsalemnh.org/home/news/covid-19-community-hotline-and-email

Salem Police: Dial 911 for emergencies or (603) 893-1911 for non-emergency issues.

New Hampshire:

New Hampshire Department of Health and Human Services:

https://www.nh.gov/covid19/index.htm

https://www.nh.gov/covid19/faqs/documents/covid-19-faq.pdf

https://www.nh.gov/covid19/resources-guidance/index.htm

https://www.nh.gov/covid19/resources-guidance/other-guidance.htm

https://www.nh.gov/covid19/documents/terms.pdf

https://www.nh.gov/covid19/resources-guidance/residents.htm

Office of the Governor: https://www.governor.nh.gov

List of NH “essential” services: https://www.governor.nh.gov/news-media/emergency-orders/documents/emergency-order-17-ex-a.pdf

Mindi Messmer: A scientist who is reporting frequently on COVID-19, Mindi is also a candidate for Executive Council, District 3 (including Salem). https://www.facebook.com/Mindi4NH/ Sign up for her “Daily or So COVID-19 Updates” https://actionnetwork.org/forms/daily-or-so-covid-19-updates

More info about COVID-19

COVID-19: The CIDRAP Viewpoint. https://www.cidrap.umn.edu/sites/default/files/public/downloads/cidrap-covid19-viewpoint-part1_0.pdfhttps://www.cidrap.umn.edu/sites/default/files/public/downloads/cidrap-covid19-viewpoint-part1_0.pdf

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention:

https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-nCoV/

https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-nCoV/if-you-are-sick/care-for-someone.html

https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/downloads/sick-with-2019-nCoV-fact-sheet.pdf

https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/downloads/2019-ncov-factsheet.pdf

https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/prevent-getting-sick/prevention.html

COVID Symptom Tracker:
This is a project of Mass General Hospital. In the absence of proper testing, let’s let them know how we are doing. https://covid.joinzoe.com/us?fbclid=IwAR2IsoxZ9RBKC4uPQscKiuUUTJCA3cCt3dUr9tjNSsFqOU1rv10jmysmt4Y

Tuft’s University: COVID-19 Convalescent (Recovered) Patient Registry

Trackers (Cases)

COVI-19 Tracker: https://bing.com/covid/local/newhampshire_unitedstates

Live statistics: https://ncov2019.live/data

US Coronavirus Tracking https://infection2020.com

The COVID Tracking Project https://covidtracking.com/data/state/new-hampshire#historical

The World Health Organization:
https://www.who.int/emergencies/diseases/novel-coronavirus-2019

Media with NH COVID-19 news:

WMUR: https://www.wmur.com

NHPR: https://www.nhpr.org

Housing

NH landlords cannot start eviction proceedings for any tenant unable to pay due to the impact of the coronavirus. Foreclosures are also frozen. https://www.governor.nh.gov/news-media/emergency-orders/documents/emergency-order-4.pdf

Housing and Urban Development: https://www.hud.gov/states/new_hampshire

NH Housing: https://www.nhhfa.org