- Details
- Written by Patrick R. McElhiney
- Category: Articles
Concord, NH – The New Hampshire Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) has issued the following update for March 16, 2020, on the new coronavirus, COVID-19. DHHS will continue to issue COVID-19 updates each day to provide media and the public with current information about the State’s efforts.
New Hampshire residents who have questions or concerns about COVID-19 should contact 211.
What’s New
· NH DHHS Announces Four New Presumptive Positive Test Results for COVID-19
DHHS announced four new positive test results for COVID-19. This brings the total in New Hampshire to 17 cases. The new confirmed cases of COVID-19 are in three adult males and one female under the age of 18 years, who are from the counties of Grafton (2), Rockingham (1), and Carroll (1). In total, sixteen cases of COVID-19 have either been travel-related (to domestic or international locations) or identified close contacts of a person with COVID-19; one person’s risk factors are still under investigation. All patients are isolating at home and household contacts have self-quarantined.
· Public Health Laboratories COVID-19 testing update
On Sunday, March 15, DHHS received 195 specimens to be tested at the State Public Health Laboratories (PHL). Given the increase in demands on COVID-19 testing, DHHS anticipates the PHL will need up to two days to conduct COVID-19 tests.
· DHHS guidance to medical providers to coordinate testing with commercial laboratories
Commercial testing continues to expand to help more patients get tested through their health care providers. Some hospital laboratories are also developing local capacity to test for COVID-19. DHHS continues to communicate with healthcare providers to ensure patients and providers know how to facilitate testing through commercial labs. Commercial testing, currently available through LabCorp and Quest among others take 3-5 days for results. Commercial laboratories have given assurances that any specimens sent from New Hampshire will be tested.
New Hampshire 2019 Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) Summary Report
(updated March 16, 2020, 9:00 AM)
|
NH Persons with COVID-191 |
17 |
|
Persons with Test Pending at NH PHL2 |
195 |
|
Total Persons Tested at NH PHL3 |
567 |
|
Persons Being Monitored in NH (approximate point in time) |
525 |
1Includes specimens presumptive-positive at any laboratory and those confirmed by CDC confirmatory testing.
2Includes specimens received and awaiting testing at NH Public Health Laboratories (PHL).
3Includes specimens sent to CDC prior t NH PHL testing capacity.
Previous Updates
· DHHS Announces New Presumptive Positive Cases of COVID-19
· Governor Sununu Issues Executive Order for Temporary Remote Instruction and Support for K-12 Public Schools
· DHHS Recommends Child Care Centers to Remain Open
· CDC Guidance for Pregnant Women, New Mothers and Infants
NH DHHS Daily Update on COVID-19 Archive
For more information, please visit the DHHS COVID-19 webpage at https://www.dhhs.nh.gov/dphs/cdcs/2019-ncov.htm.
- Details
- Written by Patrick R. McElhiney
- Category: Articles
Concord, NH – Concord, NH – The New Hampshire Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) has issued the following update for March 15, 2020, on the new coronavirus, COVID-19. DHHS will continue to issue COVID-19 updates to provide media and the public with current information about the State’s efforts.
New Hampshire residents who have questions or concerns about COVID-19 should contact 211.
What’s New
· DHHS Announces New Presumptive Positive Cases of COVID-19
DHHS has announced six new presumptive positive test results for COVID-19, the disease caused by the novel coronavirus. This brings the total in New Hampshire to 13 cases. The affected persons are adults, 4 females and 2 males, and all have traveled to domestic or international locations. Five live in Rockingham County and one lives in the city of Nashua in Hillsborough County.
Governor Chris Sununu today issued Executive Order 2020-04, which will transition all K-12 public schools to remote instruction and support beginning Monday, March 16, through Friday, April 3, 2020. Schools will be closed to students beginning March 16 to allow districts to develop a remote instruction and remote support capacity in order to transition to remote learning no later than Monday, March 23. The Department of Education will provide guidance and support to school districts as they work to develop their plans.
· DHHS Recommends Child Care Centers to Remain Open
DHHS recommends that child care centers remain open. The DHHS Child Care Licensing Uint will contact licensed child care providers on March 16 to work together to address the Governor’s Executive Order issued today.
· CDC Guidance for Pregnant Women, New Mothers and Infants
Pregnant women and new mothers should exercise the same universal precautions for preventing the spread of COVID-19. The best way to prevent illness is to avoid exposure. The CDC has guidance on precautions people can take to keep themselves and their families healthy, including staying home when ill, frequent handwashing, avoiding being within six feet (close contact) of a person who is sick, and disinfecting frequently touched surfaces.
New Hampshire 2019 Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) Summary Report
(updated March 15, 2020, 9:00 a.m.)
|
NH Persons with COVID-191 |
13 |
|
Persons with Test Pending at NH PHL2 |
95 |
|
Total Persons Tested at NH PHL3 |
379 |
|
Persons Being Monitored in NH (approximate point in time) |
450 |
1Includes specimens presumptive-positive at any laboratory and those confirmed by CDC confirmatory testing.
2Includes specimens received and awaiting testing at NH Public Health Laboratories (PHL).
3Includes specimens sent to CDC prior t NH PHL testing capacity.
DHHS continues to test for COVID-19 in the NH Public Health Laboratories. DHHS is updating its website Monday through Friday to include a current summary of testing actions.
Previous Updates
· Governor Chris Sununu Declares State of Emergency, Opens Emergency Operations Center in Concord
· DHHS announces new positive test result of COVID-19
· DHHS announces increased testing capacity and new guidance to medical providers on testing for COVID-19
· New guidelines issued by CDC around non-essential domestic or international travel
NH DHHS Update on COVID-19 Archive
For more information, please visit the DHHS COVID-19 webpage at https://www.dhhs.nh.gov/dphs/cdcs/2019-ncov.htm.
- Details
- Written by Patrick R. McElhiney
- Category: Articles
The Manchester DMV will resume operations Monday, March 16, 2020, following the cleaning and disinfection of the facility. A private contractor cleaned the facility Sunday to a standard that exceeded the Center for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) recommendations, including the cleaning and disinfection of all areas.
“The health of anyone using our buildings is of the utmost importance and we are closely following the guidance provided by the Division of Public Health Services (DPHS) and the CDC to ensure our buildings are safe and properly cleaned,” DMV Director Elizabeth Bielecki said. “I personally observed the cleaning and sanitization of our Manchester location and am fully confident that our facility is safe and ready to reopen.”
Per the guidance of the Division of Public Health Services and the Center for Disease Control, the DMV has prohibited staff who are feeling ill from coming to work and strongly advises those staff to stay home, seek guidance from a healthcare provider, and follow those recommendations.
Customers who prefer not come to a DMV can visit www.nh.gov/dmv to take advantage of the DMV’s online services, including online driver license renewal, ID renewals, and online ticket pay. Most registrations can be renewed online as well. Please visit your town website for additional information.
- Details
- Written by Patrick R. McElhiney
- Category: Articles
Concord, NH – The New Hampshire Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) has announced six new presumptive positive test results for COVID-19, the disease caused by the novel coronavirus. This brings the total in New Hampshire to 13 cases. The affected persons are adults, 4 females and 2 males, and all have traveled to domestic or international locations.
· Two of the persons are adult women from Rockingham County who traveled to multiple countries in Europe on the same trip with an earlier COVID-19 case announced in New Hampshire.
· Two adult females are from Rockingham County who recently traveled to different U.S. states experiencing community transmission.
· The fifth person is an adult male from Rockingham County who traveled to multiple European countries.
· The sixth individual is an adult male from the city of Nashua in Hillsborough County who recently traveled to Central America.
All patients are isolating at home and household contacts have self-quarantined.
DHHS conducted an investigation into these persons’ activities and is in the process of notifying anyone who may have been in close contact with these persons while infectious.
Any New Hampshire resident who has developed fever, respiratory symptoms (e.g., cough, shortness of breath) or even mild flu-like symptoms need to limit community exposure. Stay home, limit contact with other people, and immediately contact your healthcare provider to discuss symptoms and any risk factors for COVID-19. Any individual who is symptomatic but does not have a healthcare provider should contact DHHS at (603) 271-4496.
Any person who has returned from Europe should immediately comply with CDC recommendations to self-quarantine. People who have returned from any other travel setting with cases, such as other states, should self-observe for possible symptoms. Self-observation guidance can be found here.
Given the increasing spread of COVID-19 worldwide and in the United States, all people should take the following precautions to protect themselves and help prevent further community spread:
· Stay home and avoid public places when sick (i.e. social distancing)
· Cover mouth and nose when coughing and sneezing
· Wash hands frequently
· Avoid being within 6 feet (close contact) of a person who is sick
· Avoid sharing drinks, smoking/vaping devices, or other utensils or objects that may transmit saliva
· Disinfect frequently touched surfaces
For more information on COVID-19 in NH, please visit https://www.dhhs.nh.gov/dphs/cdcs/2019-ncov.htm. For the latest information from the CDC, please visit https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/index.html.
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