Dec. 19 NH DHHS COVID-19 update: 676 positive results with 82 in Manchester; 12 new deaths reported

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COVID Overview


CONCORD, NH – On Saturday, December 19, 2020, DHHS announced 676 new positive test results for COVID-19, for a daily PCR test positivity rate of 5.2%. Today’s results include 359 people who tested positive by PCR test and 317 who tested positive by antigen test. There are now 6,725 current COVID-19 cases diagnosed in New Hampshire. Of the results reported today:

  • 12/1438 new cases today, for an updated total of 794 cases
  • 12/15189 new cases today, for an updated total of 790 cases
  • 12/16: 134 new case today, for an updated total of 606 cases
  • 12/17: 153 new cases today, for an updated total of 603 cases
  • 12/18: 162 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.

Several cases are still under investigation. Additional information from ongoing investigations will be incorporated into future COVID-19 updates. Of those with complete information, there are sixty-four individuals under the age of 18 and the rest are adults with 49% being female and 51% being male. The new cases reside in Rockingham (136), Hillsborough County other than Manchester and Nashua (99), Strafford (74), Belknap (57), Merrimack (53), Coos (17), Cheshire (14), Carroll (11), Grafton (10), and Sullivan (2) counties, and in the cities of Manchester (82) and Nashua (78). The county of residence is being determined for forty-three new cases.

Community-based transmission continues to occur in the State and has been identified in all counties. Of those with complete risk information, most of the cases have either had close contact with a person with a confirmed COVID-19 diagnosis or are associated with an outbreak setting.

DHHS has also announced twelve additional deaths related to COVID-19.

  • 4 female residents of Hillsborough County, 60 years of age and older
  • 2 male residents of Belknap County, 60 years of age and older
  • 2 male residents of Coos County, 60 years of age and older
  • 1 male resident of Carroll County, 60 years of age and older
  • 1 male resident of Hillsborough County, 60 years of age and older
  • 1 male resident of Merrimack County, 60 years of age and older
  • 1 male resident of Rockingham County, 60 years of age and older

There are currently 258 individuals hospitalized with COVID-19. In New Hampshire since the start of the pandemic, there have been a total of 35,609 cases of COVID-19 diagnosed with 886 (3%) of those having been hospitalized.

Current Situation in New Hampshire

New Hampshire 2019 Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) Summary Report (updated December 19, 2020, 9 a.m.)

NH Persons with COVID-19 35,609
Recovered 28,234 (79%)
Deaths Attributed to COVID-19 650 (2%)
Total Current COVID-19 Cases 6,725
Persons Who Have Been Hospitalized for COVID-19 886 (3%)
Current Hospitalizations 258
Total Persons Tested at Selected Laboratories, Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) (see 2 below) 482,947
Total Persons Tested at Selected Laboratories, Antibody Laboratory Tests (see 2 below) 34,245
Persons with Specimens Submitted to NH PHL N/A
 Persons with Test Pending at NH PHL (see 3 below) 1,563

1  Includes specimens positive at any laboratory and those confirmed by CDC confirmatory testing.

2Includes specimens tested at the NH Public Health Laboratories (PHL), LabCorp, Quest, Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center, and those sent to CDC prior to NH PHL testing capacity.

3 Includes specimens received and awaiting testing at NH PHL. Does not include tests pending at commercial laboratories.

 Number of Tests Conducted by Date of Report to NH DHHS

Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) Tests
Testing Laboratory 12/12 12/13 12/14 12/15 12/16 12/17 12/18 Daily Average
NH Public Health Laboratories 1,329 1,000 1,253 853 1,240 898 585 1,023
LabCorp 1,630 1,854 1,298 1,524 1,401 1,828 1,380 1,559
Quest Diagnostics 1,364 1,747 1,424 1,184 1,249 1,703 1,099 1,396
Mako Medical 131 249 9 113 663 827 452 349
Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center 516 423 302 738 901 952 0 547
Other NH Hospital Laboratory 490 435 531 555 486 538 392 490
Other Laboratory* 1,742 1,049 1,145 1,524 1,936 2,131 1,851 1,625
University of New Hampshire** 1 0 1,917 1,512 806 737 1,894 981
Total 7,203 6,757 7,879 8,003 8,682 9,614 7,653 7,970
Antibody Laboratory Tests
Testing Laboratory 12/12 12/13 12/14 12/15 12/16 12/17 12/18 Daily Average
LabCorp 21 1 2 27 20 4 0 11
Quest Diagnostics 34 7 10 18 40 33 20 23
Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center 3 0 7 6 8 1 0 4
Other Laboratory* 7 0 23 10 11 17 8 11
Total 65 8 42 61 79 55 28 48

* Includes out-of-state public health laboratories, out-of-state hospital laboratories, and other commercial laboratories not already listed in the table.

Note: Patients who had both antibody and polymerase chain reaction (PCR) tests are accounted for in both tables.

** Includes tests conducted at the UNH laboratory and their contracted lab Veritas.

About this Author

NH Department of Health and Human Services