COVID-19 Update September 24

COVID-19 Update September 24

Total: 324 confirmed cases in Salem
1 out of every 91 Salem residents have been infected
Salem Today: 1 new case, <5 active cases

• • • TODAY’S SPOTLIGHT • • • • • •

Salem was able to go four days without anyone being infected. Unfortunately, that trend has ended.
37 more people in NH were diagnosed with COVID-19. The daily average for the past week is 35 cases per day.
I’ve been told that another Salem High School student was diagnosed with COVID-19, and that they were in school yesterday.
2,000 Rockingham County residents have now been infected with COVID-19.
Something is going on in Rochester. They have added twenty new cases in the past six days, including seven today.
Yesterday, the number of tests was considerably low. Today it is unusually high. Our daily average for the last two days is 1,812 tests per day. The one-week average is 1, 663.
There were 2,625 negative tests today, with a positivity rate of 1.39%
Today, NH DHHS reported in their press release that 2 kids under 18 were infected. Per NH DHHS’s dashboard, there were 6 children aged 0-9 that were infected, there were 5 kids aged 10-19, and there were 2 people aged 20-29 who were infected.
Schools with active or recovered cases:
No preschool. 12 elementary schools (+2). 4 middle schools (+1). 12 high schools. 12 Colleges/Universities.
- The numbers for Salem students remain unchanged (1 active case, even though we know of four Salem High students that have been infected.)
- According to DHHS, no Windham High School student still has an active infection.
- In the press conference today, the Governor’s team shared that UNH infections are included in NH’s infections. However, their tests are not. Info from Labs are uploaded directly from the labs, and there is no interface for UNH to connect to the State. They have been working on this for several weeks, and it will likely be completed in another two weeks.
There were four more people that were hospitalized with COVID-19 today. 16 patients are hospitalized in NH with COVID-19.
There have been no new COVID-19-related deaths in NH in the past 9 days.

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

New positive cases per DHHS: 37
My new positive cases (Total of today’s cases minus yesterday’s total): 37
Children under 18 in new cases: 2
Total positive cases in NH: 8,044
Percentage of today’s tests that are positive: 1.39%
Total PCR tests results reported today (Positive results plus negative results): 2,662
The daily average of diagnostic (PCR) tests reported from 7 days ago to today: 1,376
New negative results reported today: 2,625
Total negative cases in NH: 239,107

• • • • Rockingham County • • • • • •

Total cases in Rockingham County: 2,000
New cases in Rockingham County: 5
Rockingham County: New cases per 100K residents: 1.6
Rockingham County 1-week average per 100K residents: 2.5
Percent of all cases from Rockingham County: 24.9%
Percent of all cases from either Hillsborough County or Rockingham County: 79%

• • • • Active Cases• • • • • •

Active cases in NH: 281
Active cases in Rockingham County: 71
Percent of NH’s active cases that are in Rockingham County: 25.3%

• • • • OTHER TEST RESULTS• • • • • •

New antibody tests: 71
Total antibody tests (No break downs of positive vs. negative): 30,901
The daily average of antibody tests reported from 7 days ago to today: 46
Children diagnosed with MIS-C: (as of 5/22/2020): 1

• • • • RECOVERED IN NH • • • • • •

Announced today: 22
Total Recovered: 7,325
Percentage of diagnosed cases that have recovered: 91.1%

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

New: 4
Current: 16
Total Hospitalized: 732
Percentage of those who have been infected that have been hospitalized: 9.10%

• • • • DEATHS IN NH • • • • • •

Lives lost today: 0
Persons over 60 years of age who died today: 0
Persons under 60 years of age who died today: 0
Total fatalities in NH associated with COVID-19: 438
NH Residents diagnosed with COVID-19 that died: 5.45%
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.

Tonight, I’m thinking of my friend Linda, and her brother Billy.

I met Linda at 99 Restaurant probably a year ago. She had on a T-shirt that caught my attention, and I commented on it. It had a positive message – about loving one another. We chatted for a few moments, while we waited to be seated. We all went our separate way, and had our meal. When my husband and I left, we went past her, and I stopped to chat. Linda was one of the most positive people I’ve ever met. She radiated joy and love. You couldn’t help but feel good to be around her. We exchanged hugs (it was pre-COVID), and became Facebook friends, where she continues to spread her love of life and positive attitude.

Billy was Linda’s brother. By the looks of his photo, and from what others have written, he was also a sweet, loving person. He was a special person, and a special needs person; Billy had Down Syndrome. And he also had COVID-19.

I have watched Linda as she struggled to help her brother, trying to find resources that would help him. She struggled, wanting to be with him. It shouldn’t have been this hard. If love could have saved Billy, he would still be alive. Love may make the world go ‘round, but it couldn’t save Billy.

Billy won’t be part of the numbers I share … he lived and died in Massachusetts. But he is someone’s brother, and his loss leaves a big hole in his family. Billy and Linda are why we need to be respectful of others by keeping our distance and wearing masks. Another family shouldn’t have to deal with the pain that Linda and her other loved ones are dealing with tonight.

The world needs more people like these two, but fewer people who should have to go through what they dealt with. I’m sending virtual hugs to Linda, and those who have lost loved ones through this disease. RIP, Billy, and all of those like Billy.

Don’t be a statistic. Stay safe, and always, be kind.

~Bonnie