Six more deaths linked to COVID-19 were announced Wednesday, as health officials said two more outbreaks of the coronavirus were identified at long-term care facilities.>> Download the FREE WMUR appHealth Commissioner Lori Shibinette said an outbreak of COVID-19 at Hackett Hill Center has led to 22 residents and two staff members testing positive for the virus. At Mountain Ridge Center in Franklin, 13 residents and two staff members tested positive.>> Coronavirus in NH: Important informationShibinette said there have been 2,054 COVID-19 cases in the state and 66 deaths linked to the virus. She said 259 people have been hospitalized.>> Latest coronavirus coverage from WMURHealth officials are monitoring 15 long-term care facilities that have had COVID-19 outbreaks. Shibinette said she’s hopeful there will soon be improvements in screening at such facilities to prevent the virus from getting inside.>> Watch full briefing”The vulnerability of the patients in long-term care is significant, and the negative outcomes are significant,” she said. “The best place to fight this virus for long-term care facilities is at the door. And right now, we’re using what we have — active screening, temperature control, very low threshold for calling in sick.”More testing capacity for the coronavirus was being brought online Wednesday, with state officials saying anyone experiencing possible symptoms of COVID-19 should be able to get a test.”In New Hampshire, anyone with a symptom for COVID-19 can call their provider and undergo an evaluation for a test, and in many cases, your health care provider has the ability to perform the test themselves,” Gov. Chris Sununu said.Sununu said those without a health care provider or insurance who are symptomatic can come forward to be tested for COVID-19 free of charge.Five testing centers have been set up in Claremont, Lancaster, Plymouth, Tamworth and Rochester, and Shibinette said they can collectively perform 500 tests per day. There are also mobile teams deployed across the state that can each do up to 100 tests daily.”When you want a test, your provider will send in a requisition to our central team,” Shibinette said. “We will make contact with the patient, we will find out what location is closest to you and then we will schedule you for an appointment.”In the meantime, a modified stay-at-home order will be unveiled Friday. Sununu said there will be cautious steps taken to reactivate certain sectors of the economy that have been restricted, but he indicated it is unlikely the state will take a regional approach to reopening.”Whatever we do, we’re going to make sure we can handle it and that the system can handle it,” he said. “Right now, I don’t know if we can separate parts of the state out by county. We might have to take everything statewide for now.”** Town-by-town COVID-19 case data: Interactive map | Text-only list **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
CONCORD, N.H. —
Six more deaths linked to COVID-19 were announced Wednesday, as health officials said two more outbreaks of the coronavirus were identified at long-term care facilities.
>> Download the FREE WMUR app
Health Commissioner Lori Shibinette said an outbreak of COVID-19 at Hackett Hill Center has led to 22 residents and two staff members testing positive for the virus. At Mountain Ridge Center in Franklin, 13 residents and two staff members tested positive.
>> Coronavirus in NH: Important information
Shibinette said there have been 2,054 COVID-19 cases in the state and 66 deaths linked to the virus. She said 259 people have been hospitalized.
>> Latest coronavirus coverage from WMUR
Health officials are monitoring 15 long-term care facilities that have had COVID-19 outbreaks. Shibinette said she’s hopeful there will soon be improvements in screening at such facilities to prevent the virus from getting inside.
>> Watch full briefing
“The vulnerability of the patients in long-term care is significant, and the negative outcomes are significant,” she said. “The best place to fight this virus for long-term care facilities is at the door. And right now, we’re using what we have — active screening, temperature control, very low threshold for calling in sick.”
More testing capacity for the coronavirus was being brought online Wednesday, with state officials saying anyone experiencing possible symptoms of COVID-19 should be able to get a test.
“In New Hampshire, anyone with a symptom for COVID-19 can call their provider and undergo an evaluation for a test, and in many cases, your health care provider has the ability to perform the test themselves,” Gov. Chris Sununu said.
Sununu said those without a health care provider or insurance who are symptomatic can come forward to be tested for COVID-19 free of charge.
Five testing centers have been set up in Claremont, Lancaster, Plymouth, Tamworth and Rochester, and Shibinette said they can collectively perform 500 tests per day. There are also mobile teams deployed across the state that can each do up to 100 tests daily.
“When you want a test, your provider will send in a requisition to our central team,” Shibinette said. “We will make contact with the patient, we will find out what location is closest to you and then we will schedule you for an appointment.”
In the meantime, a modified stay-at-home order will be unveiled Friday. Sununu said there will be cautious steps taken to reactivate certain sectors of the economy that have been restricted, but he indicated it is unlikely the state will take a regional approach to reopening.
“Whatever we do, we’re going to make sure we can handle it and that the system can handle it,” he said. “Right now, I don’t know if we can separate parts of the state out by county. We might have to take everything statewide for now.”
** Town-by-town COVID-19 case data: Interactive map | Text-only list **
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