NH reports 11 more coronavirus deaths

CONCORD — The New Hampshire Department of Health and Human Services announced 11 new deaths related to the new coronavirus Tuesday, bringing the state’s total to 256.

Ten of the people who died were residents of Hillsborough County, all age 60 or older — six women and four men. The other death was a woman residing in Rockingham County, also 60 or older.

DHHS also announced 65 new positive test results for COVID-19, the disease caused by the virus. There have now been 4,749 cases of COVID-19 diagnosed in New Hampshire. Several cases are still under investigation.

Of those with complete information, there are six people under the age of 18 and the rest are adults with 57% women and 43% men. The new cases reside in Hillsborough County other than Manchester and Nashua (11), Rockingham (7), Merrimack (6), Belknap (3), and Strafford (2) counties, and in the cities of Manchester (24) and Nashua (8). The county of residence is being determined for four new cases.

Rockingham County now has 1,320 total cases. Strafford County’s total is 271.

Six new hospitalized cases were identified for a total of 462 (about 10%) of the 4,749 cases. Eleven of the new cases have no identified risk factors.

Study on long-term effects

A measure that would set up a committee to study safety in long-term care facilities in light of the coronavirus pandemic has the support of a New Hampshire legislative committee.

The Senate Health and Human Services Committee recommended passage Tuesday. The measure now goes to the full Senate.

The panel would study safety, including the risk of suicide, of residents and staff, in the facilities. It would scrutinize the acquisition and inventory of personal protective equipment; policies on infection control; the adequacy of staffing and testing capacity; and the support and communication from federal and state government agencies.

More than a dozen nursing homes or other long-term care facilities have experienced coronavirus outbreaks in New Hampshire, and their residents make up the majority of those who have died of the virus in the state.

Races with no fans

The Claremont Motorsports Park plans to hold its first race Friday, without fans.

The Eagle Times reports the raceway will host the season-opening event for Granite State Pro Stock Series, a traveling circuit that competes at speedways across New Hampshire, including Claremont. The company will stream the event via a live pay-per-view broadcast.

The event ends a six-week delay to Granite State Pro's season-start, due to state government restrictions placed on large gatherings because of the pandemic.

Each car is limited to a certain number of crew members, and the speedway must keep each crew station at least six feet apart in the pit area.

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