COVID-19 pandemic in New Hampshire
The COVID-19 pandemic in New Hampshire is part of an ongoing pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) in the U.S. state of New Hampshire. The first confirmed case was reported on March 2, 2020.[2] A state of emergency was declared March 13, which included a ban on gatherings of 50 or more people.[3] A small group filed a lawsuit claiming the order infringed on their right to assemble and worship.[4] A judge dismissed the suit.[5] On March 26, all nonessential businesses were closed and Governor Chris Sununu advised people to only leave home for essential necessities.[6] On March 29, the New Hampshire Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) launched a dashboard with daily updates regarding the spread of the coronavirus in the region.[7] From March 1 through July 3, the state had 5,857 cases. Over one half of these — 3,312 — were in Hillsborough County, which encompasses the cities of Manchester and Nashua, as well as surrounding towns.[8] As of July 6, a total of 6,436 cases, 688 hospitalizations, and 409 deaths related to COVID-19 have occurred in the state. 81.4% of deaths were among residents of long-term care facilities.[8] The current counts on July 27 are 589 active cases and 20 hospitalizations.[9] In addition, the state reported 127,880 people tested by PCR and 20,455 tested for antibodies.
COVID-19 pandemic in New Hampshire | |
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Map of the outbreak in New Hampshire by confirmed new infections per 100,000 people (14 days preceding August 15)
500+ confirmed new cases
200–500 confirmed new cases
100–200 confirmed new cases
50–100 confirmed new cases
20–50 confirmed new cases
10–20 confirmed new cases
0–10 confirmed new cases
No confirmed new cases or no data | |
Map of the outbreak in New Hampshire by total confirmed infections per 100,000 people (as of August 15)
3,000+ confirmed infected
1,000–3,000 confirmed infected
300–1,000 confirmed infected
100–300 confirmed infected
30–100 confirmed infected
0–30 confirmed infected
No confirmed infected or no data | |
Disease | COVID-19 |
Virus strain | SARS-CoV-2 |
Location | New Hampshire, U.S. |
Index case | Grafton County |
Arrival date | March 2, 2020 |
Confirmed cases | 6,436[1] |
Hospitalized cases | 688 (cumulative) 20 (current) |
Recovered | 5,438[1] |
Deaths | 409[1] |
Government website | |
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Timeline
March
The first reported case was on March 2, of a male Dartmouth–Hitchcock Medical Center employee who had recently returned from a trip to Italy. A second case, a man who had had close contact with the first reported case, was confirmed the following day, March 3.[10] The man with the first case had defied quarantine orders and attended a private event organized by Dartmouth College's Tuck School of Business in White River Junction, Vermont, on February 28.[11] The third and fourth cases were reported on March 7 concerning a man from Grafton County who believed he contracted it at a church, leading the Hope Bible Fellowship church to cancel all activities. The fourth case involved a man from Rockingham County who had been in Italy.[12] On March 13, the seventh case was reported from a resident of Rockingham County who had visited the NH Division of Motor Vehicles Manchester office from March 2 to 10.[13] March 23 marked the date of the first confirmed death due to the virus in the state, as the number of confirmed cases in state rose to above one hundred.[14] The second death from the virus, a man from Hillsborough County, was confirmed on March 27.[15]
April
May
June
Government response
March
On March 13, with the seventh case reported in the state, Governor Chris Sununu declared a state of emergency. This limited visitors to assisted living and long-term care facilities, and suspended out-of-state trips for state employees. The seventh case was the first for which an advisory was issued to the public for potential exposure specifically at Manchester's Division of Motor Vehicles branch from March 2 to March 5. Over the next few days, more measures to limit the spread of the virus were announced including the closure of K-12 public schools on March 15,[16] and the closure of restaurants and bars except for takeout and delivery and a limit on gatherings of more than fifty people beginning March 16.[17] In addition to these restrictions, unemployment benefits were expanded to those temporarily out of work due to COVID-19-related closures or due to self-quarantining, and evictions and utility disconnections were banned to help those affected by the spread of the virus. On March 17 and 18, the American Civil Liberties Union of NH (ACLU-NH) and the New Hampshire Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers (NHACDL) urged correctional facilities in the state to release COVID-19 response plans and incorporate policies that protect the civil rights of incarcerated individuals.[18][19] These policies included limits on number of people arrested and incarcerated, cost reduction for means of remote communication, testing and treatment protocols, and additional precautions for incarcerated individuals who are extra vulnerable to COVID-19.[18][19] Corrections Commissioner Helen Hanks responded on March 18 that correction facilities had already started to adopt some of these policies.[20] On March 26, Sununu announced a stay-at-home order going into effect the following day at midnight requiring the closure of all non-essential in-person businesses.[21][22]
April
May
On May 1, Sununu extended the stay-at-home order until May 31, while relaxing restrictions on some businesses effective May 11.[23] On May 6, Sununu announced a new online COVID-19 testing registration portal.[24][25] Residents with COVID-19 symptoms, underlying health conditions, age over 60, or are healthcare workers can use the portal to request testing without medical referral.[26] This portal supplements existing means for requesting tests, which are through healthcare providers or by calling the COVID-19 Coordinating Office.[26] More than 2,200 residents requested testing within the first 24 hours of the portal's launch.[26] Additionally, due to the stabilizing of the COVID-19 outbreak and subsequent transition to containment, the New Hampshire Department of Health & Human Services (NH DHHS) recommended on May 7 that health service providers administer testing to all patients with at least mild symptoms of COVID-19.[27] On May 29, Sununu extended the stay-at-home order until June 15.[28] The NH DHHS also introduced a new dashboard on this day to help the public track COVID-19 impact on the community daily.[29] This replaced the COVID-19 Weekly Summary Report.[29]
June
Sununu confirmed on June 11 that the stay-at-home order would expire on June 15.[30] This included eliminating the 10-people-or-under limit for group gatherings and allowing businesses previously deemed non-essential (such as gyms, libraries, and pools) to re-open or expand.[31][32] Residents are still encouraged to wear masks in public and observe social distancing.[31] On June 25, New Hampshire Motor Speedway announced it would welcome fans for a NASCAR race on August 2 following guidelines from Governor Chris Sununu to restrict attendance to 35% capacity.[33] A series of distancing measures, cleaning protocols, and logistical modifications will be put into place.
July
Statistics
County [lower-alpha 1] | Cases [lower-alpha 2][lower-alpha 3] | Deaths [lower-alpha 3] | Active [lower-alpha 3] | |||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
10 / 10 | 5,914 | 382 | 826 | |||
Belknap | 85 | 2 | 11 | |||
Carroll | 63 | 0 | 16 | |||
Cheshire | 73 | 2 | 14 | |||
Coos | 9 | 0 | 4 | |||
Grafton | 88 | 1 | 14 | |||
Hillsborough | 3,348 | 253 | 512 | |||
Merrimack | 419 | 18 | 50 | |||
Rockingham | 1,495 | 92 | 157 | |||
Strafford | 296 | 13 | 35 | |||
Sullivan | 35 | 1 | 11 | |||
Unassigned | 3 | 0 | 2 | |||
Updated July 7, 2020 Data is publicly reported by New Hampshire Department of Health and Human Services[34][35][36] | ||||||
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See also
- Timeline of the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States
- COVID-19 pandemic in the United States – for impact on the country
- COVID-19 pandemic – for impact on other countries
References
- "Home | COVID-19". nh.gov. July 7, 2020. Retrieved June 26, 2020.
- Moon, Jason (March 2, 2020). "First Positive Test Results for Coronavirus Identified in N.H." New Hampshire Public Radio. Retrieved March 26, 2020.
- Phillips, Lucas (March 21, 2020). "Lawsuit to block New Hampshire coronavirus measure dismissed; activists watch and wait". The Boston Globe. Retrieved July 4, 2020.
- Alanez, Tonya (March 19, 2020). "Lawsuit filed by lawyer's Facebook friends challenges New Hampshire's emergency ban on gatherings". The Boston Globe. Retrieved July 4, 2020.
- Phillips, Lucas (March 21, 2020). "Lawsuit to block New Hampshire coronavirus measure dismissed; activists watch and wait". The Boston Globe. Retrieved July 4, 2020.
- McCormack, Kathy (March 26, 2020). "New Hampshire orders nonessential businesses to close". The Boston Globe. Retrieved July 4, 2020.
- "NH DHHS Launches New COVID-19 Dashboard to Help Public Track Impact of Coronavirus in NH" (Press release). New Hampshire Department of Health and Human Services. May 29, 2020. Retrieved July 4, 2020.
- "Summary Dashboard COVID-19". nh.gov. Retrieved July 4, 2020.
- "NH DHHS Covid-19 Update" (PDF). nh.gov. Retrieved July 27, 2020.
- "NH DHHS Daily Update on COVID-19 – March 4, 2020" (PDF). NH Department of Health and Human Services. Retrieved March 27, 2020.
- Godin, Mélissa (March 4, 2020). "New Hampshire Coronavirus Patient Breaks Quarantine to Attend Dartmouth Event". Time. Retrieved March 27, 2020.
- Feldman, Abigail (March 8, 2020). "Two new coronavirus cases announced in New Hampshire; first case found in Vermont". The Boston Globe. Retrieved July 3, 2020.
- Staff Report. "Seventh NH coronavirus case has ties to Manchester DMV". New Hampshire Union Leader. Retrieved June 14, 2020.
- New Hampshire Public Radio Staff. "N.H. Man Over 60 Dies of Coronavirus, Marking State's First Death". WBUR. Retrieved March 27, 2020.
- Albertson-Grove, Josie (March 27, 2020). "Second COVID-19 death in NH reported; officer at Merrimack County jail tests positive for virus". New Hampshire Union Leader. Retrieved March 27, 2020.
- "Emergency Order #1 Pursuant to Executive Order 2020-04" (PDF). New Hampshire Office of the Governor. Archived from the original (PDF) on March 23, 2020. Retrieved March 27, 2020.
- "Emergency Order #2 Pursuant Executive Order 2020-04" (PDF). New Hampshire Office of the Governor. Archived from the original (PDF) on March 27, 2020. Retrieved March 27, 2020.
- "ACLU-NH Urges Correctional Facilities to Release COVID-19 Response Plans". ACLU of New Hampshire. March 17, 2020. Retrieved June 7, 2020.
- "ACLU of NH and NHACDL Urges Those Most Vulnerable to COVID-19 Be Released from Prisons and Jails Where Possible". ACLU of New Hampshire. March 18, 2020. Retrieved June 7, 2020.
- Staff and wire. "Updates: NH ACLU seeks release of prisoners vulnerable to COVID-19". New Hampshire Union Leader. Retrieved June 7, 2020.
- Enstrom, Kirk (March 26, 2020). "Gov. Chris Sununu issues stay-at-home order for New Hampshire". WMUR-TV. Retrieved March 26, 2020.
- West, Nancy (March 26, 2020). "Sununu issues stay-at-home order". Eagle Tribune. Retrieved March 27, 2020.
- "New Hampshire's Extended Stay-At-Home Order: What Has Changed?". NHPR. May 2, 2020. Retrieved May 3, 2020.
- "COVID-19 Testing Request". business.nh.gov. Retrieved June 14, 2020.
- "19 New Coronavirus Deaths in NH, Gov. Announces Online Testing Portal". WBTS-CD. Retrieved May 21, 2020.
- "NH DHHS Launches Online Registration for COVID-19 Testing" (Press release). New Hampshire Department of Health and Human Services. May 7, 2020. Retrieved May 21, 2020.
- "Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) Outbreak, Update # 15: Updated Testing Recommendations and Resources" (PDF). New Hampshire Department of Health and Human Services. May 7, 2020. Retrieved May 21, 2020.
- "Governor Chris Sununu Issues Emergency Order #49". Governor Christopher T. Sununu. Retrieved June 4, 2020.
- "NH DHHS Launches New COVID-19 Dashboard to Help Public Track Impact of Coronavirus in NH" (Press release). New Hampshire Department of Health and Human Services. May 29, 2020. Retrieved June 4, 2020.
- "Governor Chris Sununu Releases Additional Reopening Guidelines, Announces Expiration of Stay at Home Order". Governor Christopher T. Sununu. Retrieved June 15, 2020.
- "What Does NH's New 'Safer at Home' Order Mean?". WBTS-CD. June 12, 2020. Retrieved June 15, 2020.
- "Welcome". Stay at Home 2.0. Retrieved June 15, 2020.
- Mahoney, Andrew. "New Hampshire Motor Speedway will allow fans for Aug. 2 NASCAR race". The Boston Globe. Retrieved July 4, 2020.
- "Novel Coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19)". New Hampshire Department of Health and Human Services. Retrieved July 7, 2020.
- "COVID-19 Weekly Summary Reports". New Hampshire Department of Health and Human Services. Retrieved July 7, 2020.
- "DHHS Updates". New Hampshire Department of Health and Human Services. Retrieved July 7, 2020.
External links
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