COVID-19 Update August 12

COVID-19 Update August 12

Total: 289 confirmed cases
1 out of every 102 Salem residents has been infected.
Salem Today: 0 new cases, 10 active cases.

• • • TODAY’S SPOTLIGHT• • • • • •

We have no new cases in Salem today! And, one more person has recovered, bringing our total down to 10 active cases.
Based on the cumulative number of tests reported yesterday and today by NH DHHS, test results were returned for over 5,000 people today. I hope that is correct, but the highest I have over the past two months is less than 3,000 results, and we only hit between 2,000 to 3,000 six times in that time frame. The daily average over the past month, before today, was 1,355 results per day.
If that number is correct, the positivity rate is 0.51%, and over 180,451 NH residents have been tested.
Rockingham County has now had over 1700 confirmed cases.
Only sixteen NH communities have five or more active cases; all are south of Rochester.
- On our eastern border, Hampton has 9 cases, Portsmouth has 7, Dover and Durham each have 6, and Rochester and Rye each have 5.
- Keene stands alone in the western part of the state, with six cases.
- In central NH, everything is south of Manchester, which has 39 cases. Nashua has 27, Derry has 15, while Salem, Londonderry, and Bedford each have 10, Hudson and Merrimack each have six, and Windham has five cases.
Current hospitalizations in NH finally broke below 20 for the first time in a while. On July 19, we had 17 hospitalized patients, and then it went back up. On July 31, it went back down to 18, before going up again. Today we are back down to 18.
Globally, confirmed cases went up by over 300,000.
Although NH’s fatality rate is low, it’s not low in other parts of the country. From yesterday to today, the cumulative total went up by 1,668 deaths. Global deaths are also significantly higher than they have been, reaching over 750,000 lives lost to date associated with COVID-19.

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

New positive cases per DHHS: 26
My new positive cases (Total of today’s cases minus yesterday’s total): 26
Children under 18 in new cases: 1
Total positive cases in NH: 6,887
Percentage of tests that are positive: 0.51%
Active cases: 305
Percentage of positive cases that are still active: 4.4%
New cases in Rockingham County: 5
Total cases in Rockingham County: 1,703
Percent of all cases from either Hillsborough County or Rockingham County: 81%
Total PCR tests results reported today (Positive results plus negative results): 5,052
The daily average of diagnostic (PCR) tests reported from 7 days ago to today: 1,712
New negative PCR cases in NH: 5,026
Total negative cases in NH: 173,564

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

New antibody tests: 90
Total antibody tests (No break down of positive vs. negative): 28,195
The daily average of antibody tests reported from 7 days ago to today: 98
Children diagnosed with MIS-C: (as of 5/22/2020): 1

• • • • • RECOVERED IN NH • • • • • •

Announced today: 36
Total Recovered: 6,162
Percentage of diagnosed cases that have recovered: 89.5%

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

New: 0
Current: 18
Total Hospitalized: 705
Percentage of those who have been infected that have been hospitalized: 10.24%
Percentage of those who have been hospitalized that are still in the hospital: 2.6%

• • • • • DEATHS IN NH • • • • • •

Lives lost today: 1
Persons over 60 years of age who died today: 1
Persons under 60 years of age who died today: 0
Total fatalities in NH associated with COVID-19: 420
NH Residents diagnosed with COVID-19 that died: 6.1%
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 first diagnosis of COVID-19 in the United States was just over 200 days ago. We’ve learned a lot since then. Some of the advice we were first given has changed drastically. That’s what happens with science. As scientists keep looking, and they keep learning. And when it comes to a new disease, like COVID-19, there is a lot to learn.

Now there is a new scientific study that suggests that floating respiratory droplets called aerosols contain live virus. A research team succeeded in isolating live virus from aerosols collected at a distance of seven to 16 feet from patients hospitalized with COVID-19/ SARS-CoV-2. That’s considerably farther than the six feet recommended in social distancing guidelines.

The development of this story bears watching. The study hasn’t been peer-reviewed yet, but if this research is verified, as seems likely, it could be a real game-changer in how we prevent infections.

In the meantime, I will continue to stay home as much as possible, and stay outdoors when I can’t. I will wear a mask when around anyone other than my husband. I urge you to stay safe, and always, be kind.

~Bonnie

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