Posted on by Bonnie

COVID-19 Update December 1

COVID-19 Update December 1

  • Total: 739 confirmed cases in Salem
  • 1 out of 40 Salem residents have been infected 
  • Salem today: 18 new cases since yesterday; 130 active cases

I can’t figure out what is going on with NH DHHS. Is this the new normal?

From today’s Press Release: “On Tuesday, December 1, 2020, DHHS announced 772 new positive test results for COVID-19, for a daily PCR test positivity rate of 6.2%. Today’s results include 588 people who tested positive by PCR test and 184 who tested positive by antigen test. There are now 5,022 current COVID-19 cases diagnosed in New Hampshire. Of the results reported today, 150 new positive test results are from Sunday, 11/29 and 622 new positive test results are from Monday, 11/30. Test results received Monday are still being processed and the total number of new positives for that day is not yet complete. Updated case counts for prior days will be reflected on the COVID-19 interactive dashboard.”

• • • • • • Community Transmission • • • • • •

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: 481.2 over 14 days:
    • New Hospitalizations per 100k over 14 days:
      • Scale: Minimal: <10; Moderate: 10 – 20; Substantial: >20, 
      • Daily average: 0.9
    • Average PCR Test Positivity Rate over 7 days:
      • Scale: Minimal: <5%; Moderate: 5% – 10%; Substantial: >10%
      • Daily average: 5.1%
    • New Hampshire’s Level of Transmission: Substantial
  • Rockingham County Transmission:
    • New Cases per 100k over 14 days: 508.1
    • New hospitalizations per 100k over 14 days: 1.0
    • Average PCR Test Positivity Rate over 7 days: 5.8
    • Rockingham County’s Level of Transmission: Substantial
  • Other NH Locations
    • The 7-day PCR positivity rate continues to be moderate for for Manchester, Nashua and Rockingham County, and now also the State of New Hampshire, and Merrimack County and the rest of Hillsborough County. 
    • The highest level of the three metrics determines the level of community transmission. All 10 Counties, and our two major cities remain at a Substantial level of transmission, as all have new cases per 100K over 2 weeks.

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

  • Today a record number of cases – 893—were reported as “recovered.” More than 16,000 have been labeled as “recovered” since the virus first his NH 245 days ago.
  • Today Salem’s active cases count is the same as yesterday, even though we added 18 new cases to our total.
  • 772 people were reported today as new cases. This is a new record, breaking even the number that was reported on Saturday, as NH DHHS was starting to catch up from the Thanksgiving pause.
  • 90 kids under 18 were diagnosed today. The previous record — 65 — was set on Saturday.
  • The number of people in long-term care facilities that have been diagnosed with COVID-19 has passed 3,000.
  • Over 16,000 people have been identified as “recovered” (no longer considered to be infectious).
  • There are 5,022 active cases in NH today. This count has gone up every day except two since October 28. 
  • 8,025 people are being monitored in NH. This number has increased almost every day since October 30, when it was 4,375. 
  • Today’s positivity rate is 6.2% per NH DHHS’s press release, but it is 5.1% on the dashboard. Which is correct???
  • Three more people have been hospitalized in NH with COVID-19 since yesterday’s report. The number of currently hospitalized patients is still 160, the same as yesterday.  This count has doubled in the past 15 days.
  • There is no change today to the number of people who have been admitted to an ICU. The state does not report the number of people who are currently in the ICU, only the cumulative total, which is 279. We do not know the ages of those patients.
  • The number of deaths for log-term care facilities went up by four from yesterday to today, but only two more lives were lost from COVID-19 in the 24-hour period covered by this report.

• • • • • • Communities • • • • • •

  • NH DHHS says that the new cases reside in Rockingham (189), Merrimack (110), Hillsborough County other than Manchester and Nashua (104), Belknap (57), Strafford (38), Cheshire (27), Carroll (16), Grafton (10), Sullivan (6), and Coos (4) counties, and in the cities of Manchester (126) and Nashua (44). The county of residence is being determined for forty-one new cases. 
  • Active cases:
    • A record 893 people were reported as “recovered” today; these are reflected in today’s changes. 
    • Two community — Stewartstown and Newport — now have less than 20 active cases and has been removed from the list. Stewartstown had a significant (-37) drop.
    • Six communities — Amherst, Deerfield, Gilford, New Boston, Newton and Weare — now have more than 20 active cases
    • After these adjustments, there are now 50 NH communities with more than 20 active cases. Between them, these communities have 3,885 active case, accounting for 77% of all active cases.
    • Manchester dropped down back down to under 1,000 active cases. Nashua dropped back down to less than 400 active cases. 
    • Derry, Concord, Salem, Bedford, Londonderry, Merrimack, and Hudson all have more than 100 cases. 
    • Manchester, Nashua, Derry and now Concord are the only communities with more active cases than Salem.
    • Notable net changes in active cases since yesterday: Concord: 154 (+26). Derry: 157 (+16). Hooksett: 93 (+12). Bedford: 125 (+10). Laconia: 48 (+10). Rochester: 97 (+9). Gilford: 24 (+8). Epsom: 33 (+7). Merrimack: 109 (+7). Plaistow: 45 (+7). Hampstead: 35 (+6). Pembroke: 31 (+6). Auburn: 32 (+5). Keene: 98 (+5). Londonderry: 121 (+5). Pelham: 76 (+5). Portsmouth: 73 (+5). Windham: 70 (+5). Chester: 24 (+4). Goffstown: 78 (+4). Meredith: 39 (+4). Newton: 22 (+4). Henniker: 23 (+3). Weare: 21 (+3). Atkinson: 27 (+2). Deerfield: 21 (+2). Litchfield: 43 (+2). Milford: 36 (+2). New Boston: 20 (+2). Raymond: 32 (+2). Somersworth: 40 (+2). Allenstown: 27 (+1). Amherst: 20 (+1). Bow: 33 (+1). Exeter: 41 (+1). Tilton: 71 (+1). Conway: 26 (+0). Salem: 130 (+0). Seabrook: 39 (+0). Belmont: 26 (-1). Franklin: 22 (-1). Moultonborough: 31 (-1). Fremont: 25 (-3). Hollis: 29 (-3). Hudson: 106 (-5). Dover: 38 (-9). Durham: 44 (-9). Hampton: 78 (-21). Manchester: 956 (-114). Nashua: 339 (-126).  
  • Cumulative Cases
    • There are now 81 communities that have had 50 or more cases.
    • Three more communities — Candia, Danville, and Peterborough —  have now had 50 or more cumulative cases.
    • Manchester has now passed 4,000 total cases. Hooksett now has more than 300 total cases. Keene now has more than 200. Atkinson, Barrington, Bow, and Rindge all now have more than 100 active cases.
    • Manchester, Nashua, Derry, Salem, Bedford, and Concord have had more than 500 cases.
    • Some of the communities with 50 or more total cases, and significant changes in cumulative cases since yesterday are: Manchester: 4009 (+125). Nashua: 2081 (+45). Concord: 572 (+37). Derry: 769 (+24). Bedford: 682 (+18). Hooksett: 312 (+18). Laconia: 178 (+18). Salem: 739 (+18). Rochester: 363 (+17). Londonderry: 484 (+15). Goffstown: 470 (+14). Merrimack: 423 (+14). Keene: 206 (+13). Pelham: 277 (+13). Windham: 291 (+13). Plaistow: 169 (+12). Portsmouth: 366 (+12). Tilton: 121 (+11). Gilford: 77 (+9). Hampstead: 144 (+9). Hampton: 278 (+9). Meredith: 91 (+9). Auburn: 116 (+8). Epsom: 77 (+8). Dover: 390 (+7). Pembroke: 118 (+7). Atkinson: 105 (+6). Epping: 94 (+6). Henniker: 79 (+6). Hudson: 480 (+6). Litchfield: 140 (+6). Milford: 242 (+6). Raymond: 176 (+6). Weare: 127 (+6). Exeter: 177 (+5). Franklin: 133 (+5). Newport: 76 (+5). Bow: 103 (+4). Chester: 80 (+4). Danville: 51 (+4). Fremont: 80 (+4). Newton: 70 (+4). Sandown: 118 (+4). Seabrook: 159 (+4). Somersworth: 125 (+4). Wolfeboro: 67 (+4)

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

  • New positive cases by my math (Total of today’s cases minus previous total): 772
  • New positive cases per DHHS: 772
    • 588 PCR tests
    • 184 Antigen tests
  • Children under 18 in new cases: 90
  • Total positive cases in NH: 21,766
  • Percentage of today’s tests that are positive per DHHS: 6.2%
  • Total PCR test results reported today (Positive results plus negative results): 2,828
  • The daily average of diagnostic (PCR) tests reported from 7 days ago to today: 1,863
  • New negative results reported today: 2,056
  • Total negative cases in NH: 402,323

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

  • Total cases in Rockingham County: 5,228
  • New cases in Rockingham County: 189
  • Rockingham County: New cases per 100K residents: 61.0
  • Rockingham County 1-week average per 100K residents: 46.1
  • Rockingham County Positivity Rate: 5.8%
  • Percent of all cases from Rockingham County: 24.0%
  • Percent of all cases from either Hillsborough County or Rockingham County: 68%

• • • • • • ACTIVE CASES • • • • • •

  • Active cases in NH: 5,022
  • Active cases in Rockingham County: 1,172
  • Percent of NH’s active cases that are in Rockingham County: 23%

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

  • New antibody tests: 25
  • Total antibody tests (No break downs of positive vs. negative): 33,186
  • The daily average of antibody tests reported from 7 days ago to today: 37

• • • • • • CHANGES BY AGES • • • • • •  
(Shown: Total infections, percentage of all infections, and increase since yesterday.)

  • 0-9: 809 = 4% (+35).
  • 10-19: 2170 = 10% (+79).
  • 20-29: 4273 = 20% (+167).
  • 30-39: 3154 = 14% (+138).
  • 40-49: 2829 = 13% (+112).
  • 50-59: 3388 = 16% (+138). (The percentage went from 15%-16% since yesterday)
  • 60-69: 2362 = 11% (+63).
  • 70-79: 1272 = 6% (+24).
  • 80+: 1498 = 7% (+16).
  • Unknown: 11 = 0% (+0).

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

  • Announced today: 893
  • Total Recovered: 16,216
  • Percentage of diagnosed cases that have recovered: 74.5% 

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

  • New people hospitalized from NH: 2
  • Currently hospitalized: 160
  • Total hospitalized patients: 841
  • Percentage of those who have been infected that have been hospitalized: 3.86%
  • Total admitted to ICU: 279
  • New hospitalized patients from Rockingham County: 0
  • Total hospitalized patients from Rockingham County: 203

• • • • • • 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: 528
  • NH Residents diagnosed with COVID-19 that died: 2.43%
  • Lives lost in Rockingham County today: 1
  • Total lives lost in Rockingham County: 111

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.


“Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world.”

~Nelson Mandela


Hello, Salem!

317 days ago, the first US case of COVID-19 was diagnosed. 275 days ago, the first case of COVID-19 was diagnosed in NH. Today is my 242nd update.

We’ve learned a lot since the pandemic started. We still have a lot to learn. We’ve improved the odds for surviving, but growing evidence is teaching us about people who aren’t healthy after they have “recovered.”

Our numbers are breaking records every day. We need to do better. We can do better. Be smart. Stay safe, and always, be kind.

~Bonnie

This video was posted almost two months ago. Things have changed in that time. On October 2, US deaths were 1,035,451, according to the video. (My records say 1,033,174 per WorldOmeter.) WorldOMeter now says the global death rate is 1,446,889, an increase of 413,715 in less than two months. Just please remember that there is a lot more between COVID->Death vs. COVID->Recovery. More and more, long-haulers are making the news, as are other consequences of COVID-19.

From the beginning of the pandemic, it took 43 days before NH reached it’s first 1,000 confirmed diagnoses. It took 31 days to go from 10,000 to 18,000. In another 5 days, we added another 2,000.

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:

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