COVID-19 Update March 18

COVID-19 Update March 18

  • Total: 2,502 confirmed cases in Salem. 
  • Salem today: 11 new case; 78 active cases.
  • 1 out of every 12 Salem residents has been infected
  • Salem’s new cases per 100K for 14 days: 409
  • Salem’s Positivity Rate for the past 2 weeks: 7.9%

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

On Thursday, March 18, 2021, DHHS announced 347 new positive test results for COVID-19, for a current PCR test positivity rate of 2.1%. Today’s results include 192 people who tested positive by PCR test and 155 who tested positive by antigen test. There are now 2,340 current COVID-19 cases diagnosed in New Hampshire. Of the results reported today: 

  • 3/17: 347 new cases 

Several cases are still under investigation. Additional information from ongoing investigations will be incorporated into future COVID-19 updates. 

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

  • Today the new cases “by math” (yesterday vs. today’s cumulative total of positive cases as reported by DHHS) was 335. NH reported 202 people have “recovered” since yesterday’s update. After allowing for those who lost their lives today because of COVID-19, NH’s number of active cases went up by 128 to 2,340. That’s 163 more active cases than we had a week ago. 
  • Today, DHHS issued their weekly report of New Hampshire Institutions Associated with COVID-19 Outbreaks. Like last week, there are five facilities. However, Mt. Mt. Carmel Rehabilitation and Nursing is no longer on the list. Granite Recovery Centers NFA Behavioral Heath, here in Salem has taken its place, joining Alpine Health (15 cases, 7 staff), Bedford Nursing and Rehab (8 residents and 14 staff), Hillsborough County House of Corrections (20 residents, 2 staff) and NH State Men’s Prison (266 residents, 75 staff).
  • We now have the answer to the question that so many people have been asking: Why have Salem’s numbers been climbing so fast?  Granite Recovery has 36 residents and 3 staff members who have been diagnosed with COVID-19, making it the second worst active outbreak.
  • Salem added 12 new cases today, bringing our total to 2,502 Salem residents who have had confirmed case of COVID-19. We are the third NH community to pass 2,500 total cases.
  • Salem’s new cases per 100K residents is 409. Yesterday it was 399. One week ago, it was 297.
  • Salem’s positivity rate is 7.9%. Yesterday it was 7.6%. One week ago, it was 6.0%.
  • DHHS is reporting a total of 1,160 people who have been hospitalized as of today because of COVID-19.  This is an decrease of 4 since yesterday’s update, but an increase of 2 since last week. Two of the new cases were from Rockingham County.
  • The number of patients currently hospitalized with COVID-19 is 75, which is 4 less than yesterday, but only one more than a week ago. 
  • The cumulative total of ICU admissions did not change for the period covered by this report, leaving the total at 354.
  • There were five lives lost for the period covered by this report, including two people from Rockingham county. We have lost 20 people in NH due to COVID-19 in the week from Thursday to Thursday.

• • • • • • Communities • • • • • •

  • NH DHHS reports that the new cases reside in Rockingham (87), Hillsborough County other than Manchester and Nashua (57), Grafton (30), Strafford (26), Merrimack (25), Cheshire (21), Carroll (9), Coos (5), Belknap (4), and Sullivan (2) counties, and in the cities of Manchester (32) and Nashua (24). The county of residence is being determined for twenty-five new cases. 
  • Active cases:
    • There are 2 NH communities, Manchester (208) and Nashua (149) with more than 100 active cases. Between them, these two communities have 357 active cases, accounting for 16% of all active cases. They are the only two communities with more active cases than Salem’s 78.
    • There are 8 NH communities (Manchester, Nashua, Salem, Durham, Hudson, Goffstown, New London and Derry) with more than 50 active cases. Between them, these communities have 726 active cases, accounting for 33% of all active cases. 
    • 92 communities have five or more active cases.
  • Cumulative cases:
    • There are now 154 communities that have had 50 or more total cases, 118 that have had 100 or more cases, 30 that have had 500 or more cases, 20 have had more than 1,000, and 4 have had more than 2,500.
    • Three communities — Manchester (10,150), Nashua (6,648) and Concord (2,616) — have more cumulative cases than Salem’s 2,502 Derry has more than 2,000 total cases.
    • Of communities with more than 10,000 residents and high ratios of cases per population:
      • Durham: 1:9
      • Manchester: 1:11
      • Salem: 1:12
      • Windham, Goffstown, Pelham, Hudson, Bedford and Nashua: 1:13
      • Hooksett, Derry and Londonderry: 1:14
      • Hampton: 1:15
      • Milford, Raymond, Raymond and Concord: 1:16
      • Dover and Portsmouth: 1:17
      • Somersworth: 1:18
      • Berlin: 1:19
      • Rochester: 1:20
    • Of communities with less than 10,000 residents and high ratios of cases per population:
      • Waterville Valley: 1:7
      • Stewartstown: 1:9
      • Plymouth: 1:10
      • Tilton: 1:12
      • Plaistow: 1: 13
      • Candia, Auburn and Brookfield: 1:14
      • Hampstead, Seabrook, Litchfield, Meredith, Sandown and Clarksville: 1:15

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

  • New positive cases by my math (Total of today’s cases minus previous total): 335
  • New positive cases per DHHS: 347
  • Percentage of today’s PCR tests that are positive per DHHS: 2.1%
  • Total people who have tested positive: 79,702
  • New negative results reported: 1,288
  • Total Negative Results: 565,522

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

  • Total cases in Rockingham County: 19,639
  • New cases in Rockingham County: 87
  • Rockingham County Positivity Rate: 6.2%

• • • • • • CHANGES BY AGES • • • • • •  

  • Children under 18 in today’s new cases: 71
  • % of new cases announced by DHHS today that are kids under 18 years old: 29.5%

(Totals, including changes in new cases since yesterday for those under 60.)

  • 0-9: 5% of Total cases: 3847 (+31); Hospitalizations: 7; Deaths: 0
  • 10-19: 11% of Total cases: 9107 (+65); Hospitalizations: 9; Deaths: 0
  • 20-29: 20% of Total cases: 15737 (+65); Hospitalizations: 28; Deaths: 1
  • 30-39: 14% of Total cases: 11539 (+48); Hospitalizations: 46; Deaths: 5
  • 40-49: 13% of Total cases: 10502 (+38); Hospitalizations: 87; Deaths: 9
  • 50-59: 16% of Total cases: 12570 (+54); Hospitalizations: 148 (+1); Deaths: 22
  • 60-69: 10% of Total cases: 8306 (+20); Hospitalizations: 278; Deaths: 104
  • 70-79: 5% of Total cases: 4303 (+12); Hospitalizations: 280; Deaths: 276
  • 80+: 5% of Total cases: 3716 (+3); Hospitalizations: 277; Deaths: 790
  • Unknown: 0% of Total cases: 75 (+-1); Hospitalizations: 0; Deaths: 0

• • • • • • ACTIVE CASES • • • • • •                          

  • Active cases in NH: 2,340
  • Active cases in Rockingham County: 624

• • • • • • RECOVERED • • • • • •

  • Recovered today: 202
  • Total Recovered: 76,155
  • Percentage of diagnosed cases that have recovered: 95.5% 

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

  • Currently hospitalized: 75
  • New people hospitalized from NH: 4
  • Total hospitalized patients: 1,160
  • Percentage of those who have been infected that have been hospitalized: 1.46%
  • Total admitted to ICU: 354
  • New hospitalized patients from Rockingham County: 2
  • Total hospitalized patients from Rockingham County: 262

• • • • • • DEATHS IN NH • • • • • • 

  • Lives lost today: 5
  • Persons over 60 years of age who died today: 5
  • Persons under 60 years of age who died today: 0
  • Total fatalities in NH associated with COVID-19: 1,207
  • NH Residents diagnosed with COVID-19 that died: 1.51%
  • Lives lost in Rockingham County today: 2
  • Total lives lost in Rockingham County: 218

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.


Hello, Salem!

Stay safe, and always, be kind.

~Bonnie











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