Posted on by Bonnie

COVID-19 Update November 19

COVID-19 Update November 18

  • Total: 588 confirmed cases in Salem today
  • 1 out of 50 Salem residents have been infected 
  • Salem Today: 20 new cases today; 135 active cases

Community Transmission (per NH Department of Health and Human Services): 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. The metric which is changing the most right now is the number of new cases.

  • NH Community Transmission Metrics:
    • New Cases per 100k over 14 days: 
      • Scale: Minimal: <50; Moderate: 50 – 100; Substantial: >100. 
      • Daily average: 330.7 Substantial
    • New hospitalizations per 100k over 14 days:
      • Scale: Minimal: <10; Moderate: 10 – 20; Substantial: >20, 
      • Daily average: 2.1%
    • Average PCR Test Positivity Rate over 7 days:
      • Scale: Minimal: <5%; Moderate: 5% – 10%; Substantial: >10%
      • Daily average: 3.8%
    • New Hampshire’s Level of Transmission: Substantial
  • Rockingham County Transmission:
    • New Cases per 100k over 14 days: 330.7
    • New hospitalizations per 100k over 14 days: 2.1
    • Average PCR Test Positivity Rate over 7 days: 3.8
    • Rockingham County’s Level of Transmission: Substantial
  • Other NH Locations
    • All of our other counties, and both of NH’s biggest cities are at a substantial level of community transmission, based on 100+ new cases per 100k residents for the past 2 weeks.
    • All of these locations have had less than 10 new hospitalizations per 100,000 residents for the past two weeks. 
    • All of these locations have a positivity rate of less than 5% over the last week, except 
    • Nashua, Manchester and Coos County have a positivity rate between 5% and 10%, which is a moderate level of transmission. All others are still at a minimal level of transmission for this metric.

• • • • • • TODAY’S SPOTLIGHT • • • • • •

  • It’s not a good day for NH or for Salem. I could probably skip the Spotlight today, and just say, “Almost everything is higher than ever.”
  • Today in NH, the number of new cases is 529 per NH DHHS; the number of cumulative cases went up by 528. This is the first time this count has gone over 500. The one-week daily average is 401. We hit 400 for the first time a week ago today.
  • 588 Salem residents have been infected with COVID-19. 16.4% of all Salem residents who have been infected, 93 people, have been in the past week. 
  • Today, 135 Salem residents are considered by NH DHHS to be infectious. That’s an increase of 54 in a week.
  • The number of persons being monitored in NH is 6,250. This number has increased for 14 of the previous 19 days. Today was slightly less than yesterday, but is the 2nd largest count.
  • There are 4,006 active cases in NH today. This number has gone up every day since October 28. Active cases have gone up by 2,972 since then, even though 2,776 people have been reported as “recovered” during this time.
  • NH DHHS stopped announcing the number of newly hospitalized patients when their website crashed. Based on the number of hospitalized patients yesterday and the number reported today, it appears that four more people were hospitalized for the first time today. We are averaging three per day.
  • The number of people currently hospitalized with COVID-19 is now 98. The peak was May 12, when we were up to 121 patients. The low was September 12, when we only had a total of six COVID patients in NH hospitals. 
  • One more person has been admitted to the ICU. There have been 10 ICU patients in the past weeks. The state does not report the number of people who are currently in the ICU, only the cumulative total, which is now 276. We do not know the ages of those patients.
  • We lost two more people due to COVID-19 during the 24-hour covered by this report, bringing the number of NH people who have died to 506. We have lost 20 people in the past two weeks due to COVID-19.
  • I’ve updated the graph of Salem showing active and cumulative cases.

Communities:

  • NH DHHS says that the new cases reside in Rockingham (144), Hillsborough County other than Manchester and Nashua (98), Merrimack (52), Strafford (28), Belknap (25), Grafton (15), Carroll (7), Cheshire (6), Coos (5), and Sullivan (3) counties, and in the cities of Manchester (79) and Nashua (36). The county of residence is being determined for thirty- one new cases. 
  • Active cases:
    • 287 people were reported as “recovered” today; these are reflected in today’s changes. 
    • 9 of the communities that had 20 active cases yesterday have fewer active cases today than yesterday.
    • One community dropped below 20 active cases.  Warner had a significant number of people who recovered. Their active cases have gone from 44 to six.
    • Five communities — Atkinson, Auburn, Gilford, Hanovr, Somersworth and Wolfeboro— now have more than 20 active cases each and have been added to the list.
    • There are now 45 NH communities with more than 20 active cases. Between them, these communities have 2,708 active cases, accounting for 68% of all active cases. 
    • Manchester now has more than 500 active cases. Nashua now has more than 400 active cases.  Hampton had a big jump, bring them over 50 active cases. Plymouth had a big decrease, bring them from 52 active cases down to 35.
    • Notable net changes in active cases from yesterday: Manchester: 507 (+61). Hampton: 69 (+21). Nashua: 410 (+19). Derry: 98 (+15). Goffstown: 63 (+13). Salem: 135 (+12). Pelham: 48 (+11). Hudson: 92 (+11). Merrimack: 67 (+10). Concord: 89 (+10). Bedford: 64 (+7). Gilford: 20 (+6). Seabrook: 31 (+6). Auburn: 23 (+5). Plaistow: 24 (+5). Rochester: 65 (+5). Londonderry: 66 (+5). Atkinson: 20 (+4). Weare: 24 (+4). Wolfeboro: 22 (+3). Meredith: 26 (+3). Raymond: 47 (+3). Somersworth: 20 (+2). Litchfield: 26 (+2). Milford: 27 (+2). Windham: 47 (+2). Laconia: 48 (+2). Hooksett: 52 (+2). Hanover: 20 (+1). Farmington: 21 (+1). Amherst: 22 (+1). Hampstead: 22 (+1). Belmont: 24 (+1). Colebrook: 24 (+0). Exeter: 30 (+0). Keene: 35 (+0). Stewartstown: 53 (+0). Tilton: 26 (-1). Sandown: 25 (-2). Rindge: 34 (-2). Newport: 41 (-2). Portsmouth: 71 (-2). Durham: 133 (-4). Dover: 82 (-6). Plymouth: 35 (-17).  
  • Cumulative Cases
    • There are now 63 communities that have had 50 or more cases.
    • Gilford, Kingston and Henniker now have more than 50. Weare now has more than 100. Concord now has more than 400. Derry now has 600.
    • Some of the communities with 50 or more total cases, and significant changes in cumulative cases since yesterday are: Manchester: 3037 (+79). Nashua: 1698 (+38). Unknown: 266 (+25). Hampton: 190 (+23). Salem: 588 (+20). Derry: 600 (+19). Concord: 406 (+17). Hudson: 351 (+15). Goffstown: 389 (+14). Bedford: 545 (+14). Merrimack: 295 (+13). Londonderry: 349 (+12). Pelham: 193 (+11). Seabrook: 110 (+8). Windham: 217 (+8). Rochester: 252 (+8). Milford: 196 (+7). Gilford: 50 (+6). Kingston: 53 (+5). Auburn: 83 (+5). Plaistow: 119 (+5). Laconia: 127 (+5). Raymond: 137 (+5). Hooksett: 207 (+5). Dover: 346 (+5). Atkinson: 72 (+4). Weare: 102 (+4). Hampstead: 105 (+4). Durham: 337 (+4).   

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

  • New positive cases by my math (Total of today’s cases minus yesterday’s total): 528
  • New positive cases per DHHS: 529
    • 327 PCR tests
    • 202 Antigen tests
  • Children under 18 in new cases: 49
  • Total positive cases in NH: 16,277
  • Percentage of today’s tests that are positive per DHHS: 4.1%
  • Total PCR test results reported today (Positive results plus negative results): 4,332
  • The daily average of diagnostic (PCR) tests reported from 7 days ago to today: 2,454
  • New negative results reported today: 3,804
  • Total negative cases in NH: 379,026

• • • • • • ROCKINGHAM COUNTY • • • • • • 

  • Total cases in Rockingham County: 3,920
  • New cases in Rockingham County: 144
  • Rockingham County: New cases per 100K residents: 46.5
  • Rockingham County 1-week average per 100K residents: 29.7
  • Rockingham County Positivity Rate: 3.8%
  • Percent of all cases from Rockingham County: 24.1%
  • Percent of all cases from either Hillsborough County or Rockingham County: 70.0%.

• • • • • • ACTIVE CASES • • • • • •

  • Active cases in NH: 4,006
  • Active cases in Rockingham County: 881
  • Percent of NH’s active cases that are in Rockingham County: 22.0%

• • • • • • OTHER TEST RESULTS • • • • • • 

  • New antibody tests: 52
  • Total antibody tests (No break downs of positive vs. negative): 32,761
  • The daily average of antibody tests reported from 7 days ago to today: 34

• • • • • • CHANGES BY AGES • • • • • •  
(Total infections, percentage of all infections, and increase from yesterday to today)

  • 0-9: 592=4% (+20).
  • 10-19: 1,617=8% (+43).
  • 20-29: 3,106=25% (+132).
  • 30-39: 2,294=13% (+66).
  • 40-49: 2,105=16% (+83).
  • 50-59: 2,478=16% (+83).
  • 60-69: 1,796=9% (+48).
  • 70-79: 999=5% (+29).
  • 80+: 1,275=5% (+28).
  • Unknown: 15=-1% (-4).

• • • • • • RECOVERED IN NH • • • • • • 

  • Announced today: 287
  • Total Recovered: 11,765
  • Percentage of diagnosed cases that have recovered: 72.3%

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

  • New: 4
  • Current: 98
  • Total Hospitalized: 826
  • Percentage of those who have been infected that have been hospitalized: 5.07%

• • • • • • DEATHS IN NH • • • • • • 

  • Lives lost today: 2
  • Persons over 60 years of age who died today: 2
  • Persons under 60 years of age who died today: 0
  • Total fatalities in NH associated with COVID-19: 506
  • NH Residents diagnosed with COVID-19 that died: 3.11%
  • Lives lost in Rockingham today: 0

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.

“The data is clear. If folks don’t want to look at the data, I can’t force them to listen to reason, but it is clear. It isn’t speculation; it isn’t conjecture; it isn’t a hoax. This is so real and it is skyrocketing all across the country.”

― Gov. Chris Sununu

Hello, Salem!

Today Governor Chris Sununu announced a statewide mask mandate. 

NHPR reports, “The mandate requires everyone over the age of five to wear a mask in all indoor and outdoor public spaces when they cannot stay six feet apart from others. New Hampshire had been the only state in New England without a mask mandate and, for months, Sununu had argued that circumstances didn’t warrant such a policy here. But at a press conference Friday, Sununu said surging cases mean additional steps are needed to curb what he termed the “substantial spread” of the coronavirus across the state.”

“We’ve said all along that the mask mandate was always on the table,” Sununu said. “We were going to let data really drive a lot of our decisions. And it was clear looking at the data this mask mandate is in the best interest of our citizens.”

“Reacting to news that some of his fellow Republicans were already announcing their intentions to ignore or “resist” the mandate, the governor said this order is about protecting the community.

“It’s about everybody around you,” Sununu said. “So, the data is clear. If folks don’t want to look at the data I can’t force them to listen to reason, but it is clear, it isn’t speculation, it isn’t conjecture, it isn’t a hoax. This is so real and it is skyrocketing all across the country.”

I find it ironic that those who resist wearing a mask are also those who will resist a shut down. I hate wearing a mask, but, even more, I hate the thought of NH having to take the measures that are happening in other states. The Governor has said he doesn’t want to order a shut down, but I’m losing confidence that we will not get to that point. One of my concerns is that we might have to shut down again if we continue to skyrocket like we are right now. If we comply with wearing masks, perhaps we can prevent another shutdown? Isn’t it worth it?

Try to stay positive. Stay safe, and always, be kind.

~Bonnie

It took 43 days before NH reached it’s first 1,000 confirmed diagnoses. It took two days to go from 14,000 to 15,000. We reached 16,000+ on Nov. 19.

This screenshot comes from https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/volumes/69/wr/mm6942e2.htm?s_cid=mm6942e2_w

This report is explained here:
https://www.clickondetroit.com/health/2020/10/20/cdc-from-january-to-october-us-had-299k-more-deaths-than-in-previous-years/

Useful links

Sources used to create these reports:

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *