COVID-19 Update December 18

COVID-19 Update December 18

Total: 1,161 confirmed cases in Salem
Salem’s Positivity Rate for the past 2 weeks: 13.3%
1 out of 26 Salem residents have been infected
Salem today: 24 new cases since yesterday; 219 active cases

• • • • • • Report from NH Department of Health and Human Services (NH DHHS) • • • • • •

From today’s Press Release from NH DHHS: “On Friday, December 18, 2020, DHHS announced 697 new positive test results for COVID-19, for a daily PCR test positivity rate of 4.6%. Today’s results include 502 people who tested positive by PCR test and 195 who tested positive by antigen test. There are now 6,863 current COVID-19 cases diagnosed in New Hampshire. Of the results reported today:

12/14: 163 new cases today, for an updated total of 756 cases
12/15: 26 new cases today, for an updated total of 601 cases
12/16: 58 new cases today, for an updated total of 472 cases
12/17: 450 new cases today

Test results for previous days are still being processed and the total number of new positives for those days are 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. NH Metrics are: New Cases per 100k over 14 days: Scale: Minimal: <50; Moderate: 50 – 100; Substantial: >100. New Hospitalizations per 100k over 14 days: Scale: Minimal: <10; Moderate: 10 – 20; Substantial: >20. Average PCR Test Positivity Rate over 7 days: Scale: Minimal: <5%; Moderate: 5% – 10%; Substantial: >10%

Average of New Cases per 100K people over 14 days:
- New Hampshire: 726
- Rockingham County: 873.3
- Salem: 1,105
- All 10 counties and our two biggest cities are all at the substantial level ranging from 204.0 (Sullivan County) to 1,121.9 (Manchester).
Average of New Hospitalization per 100K people over 14 days:
- New Hampshire: 1.5
- Rockingham County: 0.8
- Nashua: 8.1
Average Positivity Rate over 7 days:
- New Hampshire: 8.5%
- Rockingham County: 11.0%
- Salem: 13.3%
- Manchester: 10.6%
- Nashua: 11.0%
- 14 communities have a positivity rate higher than Salem.
- 53 communities have a positivity rate of more than 10%.
- 112 communities have a positivity rate of more than 5%.
- 126 communities have a positivity rate of more than 2%.

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

The number of people in Salem who are currently in isolation with a confirmed case of COVID went down by eight today, even though we added 24 new total cases.
One out of 39 people in NH have been diagnosed with COVID-19. 1 out of 36 residents have been infected in Rockingham County. Here in Salem, it’s 1 out of 26.
At 4.6%, NH’s positivity rate for today is the lowest it has been since Saturday. The one-week average for NH’s positivity rate is 8.5%.
Salem’s positivity rate last Friday was 12.0%. It crept up this week to 14.3%, but tonight it is now down to 13.3%
Another 752 NH people were reported today as “recovered,” bringing the total to 27,459 people.
Today’s recovered report caused a dropped in NH’s current COVID numbers. It is now the second-highest on record.
Salem’s current cases are now the same as Monday. During the past week, it has gone higher, and it has gone lower.
Two more NH people were admitted to the ICU, making a total of 23 this month, and 8 this week. 65 of the 295 people admitted to the ICU are from Rockingham County.
109 healthcare workers have been diagnosed in NH with COVID-19 in the past week. Two were hospitalized, but none died. In the past month, 447 healthcare workers in NH have been infected bringing the total to 2,778. Two were hospitalized, for a total of 64. One died, bringing that total to 9. If you are a healthcare worker, know that you are appreciated. If you know one, let them know that they are appreciated.

• • • • • • Communities • • • • • •

NH DHHS says that the new cases reside in Rockingham (163), Strafford (153), Merrimack (90), Hillsborough County other than Manchester and Nashua (76), Belknap (22), Cheshire (16), Coos (14), Carroll (8), Grafton (8), and Sullivan (4) counties, and in the cities of Manchester (68) and Nashua (32). The county of residence is being determined for forty-three new cases.
Active cases:
- An additional 752 people were reported as “recovered” today; these are reflected in today’s changes.
- One community has added enough new cases bringing them to 50 or more active cases.
- Three communities have dropped by enough cases bringing them under 50 active cases.
- There are 25 NH communities with more than 50 active cases. Between them, these communities have 4,119 active cases, accounting for 60% of all active cases.
- Manchester, Nashua, and Concord are the only communities with more active cases than Salem.
- These four, plus Derry, are the only NH communities that have more than 200 active cases.
- Communities with more than 50 active cases, showing changes in active cases since yesterday: Manchester: 782 (-19). Nashua: 481 (-26). Concord: 411 (-13). Salem: 219 (-8). Derry: 208 (-7). Hudson: 175 (-6). Dover: 155 (+14). Londonderry: 154 (-4). Windham: 131 (-3). Merrimack: 118 (-15). Durham: 115 (+86). Portsmouth: 106 (-4). Pelham: 100 (+1). Rochester: 100 (-2). Bedford: 99 (-14). Hooksett: 98 (+3). Goffstown: 97 (-1). Keene: 90 (+0). Hampton: 89 (-13). Laconia: 88 (-7). Milford: 80 (-8). Newmarket: 68 (+11). Belmont: 55 (-5). Epsom: 50 (+2). Seabrook: 50 (-2).
- Other communities with an increase or decrease by five or more people: Berlin: 37 (+8). Epping: 40 (-6). Plaistow: 47 (-5). Richmond: 6 (+6). Somersworth: 46 (-7). Tilton: 31 (-5). Weare: 44 (-7).
Cumulative Cases
- There are now 102 communities that have had 50 or more cases.
- According to DHHS, Durham added 87 new cases today. (Can that be correct? Maybe. Manchester added 68 today.)
- 33 communities have 5 or more new cases than they had yesterday.
- Only Manchester, Nashua, and Concord have had more total cases than Salem. Derry now has one less case than Salem.
- The ten communities with the highest number of cumulative cases, showing changes from yesterday: Manchester: 5644 (+68). Nashua: 3126 (+32). Concord: 1279 (+36). Salem: 1161 (+24). Derry: 1160 (+13). Bedford: 913 (+6). Londonderry: 850 (+16). Hudson: 798 (+11). Dover: 683 (+34). Merrimack: 681 (+5).
- Other communities with 5 or more new cases, showing changes from yesterday: Auburn: 179 (+6). Barrington: 154 (+5). Berlin: 127 (+9). Bow: 174 (+6). Durham: 545 (+87). Epsom: 156 (+5). Exeter: 278 (+7). Farmington: 134 (+7). Goffstown: 672 (+12). Hampton: 485 (+6). Hooksett: 540 (+13). Laconia: 335 (+5). Litchfield: 239 (+5). Meredith: 184 (+8). Milford: 422 (+6). Newmarket: 175 (+14). Nottingham: 88 (+5). Pelham: 450 (+11). Pittsfield: 67 (+5). Portsmouth: 550 (+10). Rochester: 551 (+10). Seabrook: 274 (+6). Windham: 561 (+10).

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

New positive cases by my math (Total of today’s cases minus previous total): 696
New positive cases per DHHS: 697
- 502 PCR tests
- 195 Antigen tests
Children under 18 in new cases: 71
Total positive cases in NH: 34,960
Percentage of today’s tests that are positive per DHHS: 4.6%
Total PCR test results reported today (Positive results plus negative results): 3,591
The daily average of diagnostic (PCR) tests reported from 7 days ago to today: 2,575
New negative results reported today: 2,895
Total negative cases in NH: 444,695

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

Total cases in Rockingham County: 8,709
New cases in Rockingham County: 163
Rockingham County: New cases per 100K residents: 52.6
Rockingham County 1-week average per 100K residents: 68.3
Rockingham County Positivity Rate: 11.0%
Percent of all cases from Rockingham County: 24.9%
Percent of all cases from either Hillsborough County or Rockingham County: 66%

• • • • • • ACTIVE CASES • • • • • •

Active cases in NH: 6,863
Active cases in Rockingham County: 1,761
Percent of NH’s active cases that are in Rockingham County: 25.7%

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

New antibody tests: 67
Total antibody tests (No break downs of positive vs. negative): 34,196
The daily average of antibody tests reported from 7 days ago to today: 55

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

0-9: 1413 = 4% (+32).
10-19: 3446 = 10% (+61).
20-29: 6788 = 19% (+202).
30-39: 5179 = 15% (+99).
40-49: 4697 = 13% (+86).
50-59: 5565 = 16% (+88).
60-69: 3804 = 11% (+69).
70-79: 1989 = 6% (+35).
80+: 2043 = 6% (+23).
Unknown: 36 = 0% (+1).

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

Announced today: 752
Total Recovered: 27,459
Percentage of diagnosed cases that have recovered: 78.5%

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

New people hospitalized from NH: 4
Currently hospitalized: 273
Total hospitalized patients: 881
Percentage of those who have been infected that have been hospitalized: 2.52%
Total admitted to ICU: 295
New hospitalized patients from Rockingham County: 1
Total hospitalized patients from Rockingham County: 206

• • • • • • DEATHS IN NH • • • • • •

Lives lost today: 9
Persons over 60 years of age who died today: 9
Persons under 60 years of age who died today: 0
Total fatalities in NH associated with COVID-19: 638
NH Residents diagnosed with COVID-19 that died: 1.82%
Lives lost in Rockingham County today: 0
Total lives lost in Rockingham County: 123

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.

“Don’t become complacent because ‘things could be worse’ but rather get busy because ‘things could be better’.”
― Bobby Darnell, Time For Dervin – Living Large In Geiggityville

Hello, Salem!

Have you checked out NH DHHS’s COVID-19 website lately?

I keep finding new information in the Interactive Analytics dashboard. There’s a lot of data in there, most of it a snapshot of the current moment in time.

They also have good resources, including what to do if you have been exposed to COVID-19, and what to do if you test positive across the top. On the sidebar are other resources.

Of course, there are always resources at the bottom of every update here, too.

Enjoy your weekend. Stay positive, 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.