FILE - This 2020 electron microscope image provided by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases - Rocky Mountain Laboratories shows SARS-CoV-2 virus particles which causes COVID-19, isolated from a patient in the U.S., emerging from the surface of cells cultured in a lab. On Monday, Oct. 5, 2020, the top U.S. public health agency said that coronavirus can spread greater distances through the air than 6 feet, particularly in poorly ventilated and enclosed spaces. But agency officials continued to say such spread is uncommon, and current social distancing guidelines still make sense. (NIAID-RML via AP)

CONCORD – On Wednesday, the state Department of Health and Human Services announced 71 new positive test results for COVID-19.

The state also announced two additional deaths related to COVID-19, a woman from Hillsborough County and a man from Strafford County, both 60 years of age and older.

Check number of COVID-19 cases by school every day. Under the “show” pull down and click “schools with cases.” https://www.nh.gov/covid19/dashboard/schools.htm. You can also download the community transmission level map there.

Manchester (99), Nashua (115), Bedford (62) and Warner (39) had the most cases of COVID-19, and Nashua and Manchester were both still listed Wednesday with community transmission level’s highest label “substantial.”

On Wednesday. Strafford, Belknap, Merrimack, Rockingham and all of Hillsborough Counties except Nashua and Manchester were labeled “moderate” and the rest of the state “minimal” for overall community transmission of the virus.

The overall level of community transmission is defined using three metrics: New Cases per 100k over 14 days; New Hospitalizations per 100k over 14 days; and 7-Day PCR Test Positivity Rate.

That’s a daily PCR test positivity rate of 0.9%. Today’s results include 40 people who tested positive by PCR test and 31 who tested positive by antigen test. There are now 823 current COVID-19 cases diagnosed in New Hampshire.

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 fourteen individuals under the age of 18 and the rest are adults with 48% being female and 52% being male. The new cases reside in Rockingham (19), Hillsborough County other than Manchester and Nashua (11), Merrimack (9), Cheshire (4), Strafford (3), Grafton (2), and Belknap (1) counties, and in the cities of Nashua (11) and Manchester (9). The county of residence is being determined for two new cases.

Two new hospitalized cases were reported. There are currently ­19 individuals hospitalized with COVID-19. Three of the new cases had no identified risk factors. 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 have recently traveled.

In New Hampshire since the start of the pandemic, there have been a total of 9,349 cases of COVID-19 diagnosed with 760 (8%) of those having been hospitalized.

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