MANCHESTER, NH – Manchester Mayor Joyce Craig and her family are self-isolating at home after her oldest daughter tested positive for COVID-19, tweeting it is a reminder that the virus isn’t of concern only to people over age 60.
Craig tested negative and her daughter, who recently returned from studying abroad, tested positive, but both were asymptomatic, Craig said in a statement. It’s a good reminder to all to stay home, she said.
“This is an important reminder that people of all ages can get this virus and that many people carrying COVID-19 may be asymptomatic,” Craig said. “Nobody is safe from COVID-19, which is why it’s important that people stay home.”
Unlike other states, New Hampshire does not release information about the age of those who test positive, except for a vague reference in the three fatal cases to say they were older than 60. The state has a total of 158 positive tests as of Sunday.
A Manchester Ink Link reporter asked NH DHHS spokesman Jake Leon if the state would provide more information about the age of New Hampshire’s first victim, and he declined, citing state and federal privacy laws.
“That information would not help protect the public’s health and would not change the recommendations that people need to follow to slow the spread of the novel coronavirus. We also wish to respect the privacy of the individual’s family,” Leon said.
Some states do the same as New Hampshire, limiting the amount of information released and sometimes using the same phrasing, that is not giving a specific age, town or city and saying the individual had other health issues.
Florida, however, releases more information. On St. Patrick’s Day, Gov. Rick De Santis confirmed the death of a 77-year-old man at an assisted-living facility in Fort Lauderdale. The man was later identified by NBC News as Richard Curren who resided at Atria Willow Wood.
Maine, Massachusetts and Connecticut are among states that release ages by grouping.
In Massachusetts, there have been 48 COVID-19 deaths and 4,955 who tested positive. More people in their 20s and 30s have tested positive for COVID-19 in Massachusetts than those in their 70s and older, according to the website.
But experts say elderly people, especially those with underlying health conditions, are more likely to die from the virus. The four new deaths reported Sunday in Massachusetts were all people ages 70 and older. The following is age data released by Massachusetts:
Every day, the New Hampshire Department of Health and Human Services releases the number of positive COVID-19 tests by county and the total numbers for men and women and those under 18, but no age information. Officials say they limit the release of information to protect the privacy of patients.
New Hampshire has not released the number of health care professionals who have been diagnosed. Last week the Boston Globe reported more than 160 workers at Massachusetts hospitals had so far been diagnosed with COVID-19
In Connecticut where there have been 1,993 positive tests and 34 deaths, officials release the number of positive tests by county, municipality, and age groupings by decade, according to the Connecticut Department of Public Health’s website.
Twenty-two of the COVID-19 deaths in Connecticut were people over age 80; 7 were older than 70; and five were between the ages of 40 and 69, according to the website.
In Maine, there have been 253 positive tests and three deaths from the virus. Maine also releases ages by groupings.
In Maine, 2 percent of the cases have been people younger than 20; 11 percent or 27 cases are people in their 20s; 23 cases or 9 percent are in their 30s. The following is a list of ages released by Maine.
Manchester Ink Link reporter Pat Grossmith contributed to this story.
