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- Written by Patrick R. McElhiney
- Category: Articles
Concord, NH – The New Hampshire Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) has issued the following update on the new coronavirus, COVID-19.
On Monday, April 13, 2020, DHHS announced 35 new positive test results for COVID-19. There have now been 1,020 cases of COVID-19 diagnosed in New Hampshire. Several cases are still under investigation. Any additional information from ongoing investigations will be incorporated into future COVID-19 updates. Of those with complete information, all are adults with 49% being female and 51% being male. The new cases reside in Rockingham (14), Hillsborough County other than Manchester and Nashua (4), Merrimack (1), and Strafford (1) counties, and in the cities of Manchester (10) and Nashua (4). The county of residence is being determined for one new case. No new COVID-19-related hospitalizations were reported; thus far, 152 (15%) of the 1,020 positive cases have been hospitalized. Five of the new cases have no identified risk factors. Community-based transmission continues to increase in the State and has been identified in all counties with cases. Most of the remaining cases have either had travel to domestic or international locations or have had close contact with a person with a confirmed COVID-19 diagnosis.
DHHS has also issued the first COVID-19 Weekly Summary Report, which includes additional epidemiological and demographic data about COVID-19 in New Hampshire. The COVID-19 Weekly Summary Report is available at https://www.dhhs.nh.gov/dphs/
Current Situation in New Hampshire
|
County |
Cases |
|
Belknap |
22 |
|
Carroll |
30 |
|
Cheshire |
20 |
|
Coos |
2 |
|
Grafton |
45 |
|
Hillsborough - Other |
153 |
|
Hillsborough - Manchester |
156 |
|
Hillsborough - Nashua |
89 |
|
Merrimack |
75 |
|
Rockingham |
360 |
|
Strafford |
61 |
|
Sullivan |
6 |
|
County TBD |
1 |
|
Grand Total |
1020 |
New Hampshire 2019 Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) Summary Report
(data updated April 13, 2020, 9:00 AM)
|
NH Persons with COVID-191 |
1,020 |
|
Recovered |
249 (24%) |
|
Deaths Attributed to COVID-19 |
23 (2%) |
|
Total Current COVID-19 Cases |
748 |
|
Persons Who Have Been Hospitalized for COVID-19 |
152 (15%) |
|
Current Hospitalizations2 |
72 |
|
Persons Tested Negative at Selected Laboratories3 |
10,590 |
|
Persons with Specimens Submitted to NH PHL |
5,139 |
|
Persons with Test Pending at NH PHL4 |
25 |
|
Persons Being Monitored in NH (approximate point in time) |
2,250 |
1Includes specimens presumptive-positive at any laboratory and those confirmed by CDC confirmatory testing.
2Number of patients currently hospitalized with COVID-19 as reported by hospitals.
3Includes 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.
4Includes specimens received and awaiting testing at NH PHL. Does not include tests pending at commercial laboratories.
NH DHHS Daily Update on COVID-19 Archive
For more information, please visit the DHHS COVID-19 webpage at https://www.nh.gov/covid19.
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- Written by Kat Roedell
- Category: Articles
As a business analyst and mentor, my job is to help other business owners navigate change in the face of adversity and challenges in their business. With over 30 years of experience in both the public and private sectors, on the ground deck and in management – I have seen a variety of issues and challenges in how businesses operate. In this way, I am uniquely qualified to offer a sound perspective on how businesses can adapt and respond to social distancing, as well as overuse and underuse of their businesses. For many “non-essential” business owners there is a quite rational fear that once the doors are closed, a business may not re-open.
We have heard in the national media that a few major chain restaurants (such as The Cheesecake Factory and Subway) have said they “cannot pay the rent” for all their business. As a small to a mid-size business owner, the first thought is “If it happened to them, what am I going to do?”. Some simple analysis can remove fear.
Initially, we need to evaluate the state of the corporations that are “at-risk”. I would argue that there are a couple of different corporate strategies at play in their statements – because if you logically think about it with hundreds of locations across the United States, did every single one of their restaurants did not have any profit in the past two months? Did those businesses not have any working capital at play or in reserve to cover any emergencies? Or, are they just looking for a bailout – so management can walk away with their paychecks intact? Were they unable to come up with alternate delivery methods of their product? Subway, for example, does not rely on in house seating – they’ve always been a pick-up-and-go model, including a great online ordering system – so why were they so impacted when other, smaller businesses have had to make changes to web sites and communications to provide the same services, and are now still open and providing great quality customer service?
Corporate strategies and tactics aside, one powerful way to adapt a business is to incorporate technology as a sound technique to decrease costs while improving efficiencies. Even when new technologies may not be the way to go - with a creative problem-solving mind at work, often cost-saving measures can be implemented without lay-offs. This can be accomplished through a variety of ways – through “LEAN” processing, or business process reengineering for example. The key point is evaluating WHY something is done the way it is, and WHAT the result really needs to be. Working with the result in mind, and removing unnecessary constraints allows businesses to rapidly change HOW things are done and can often increase productivity while retaining workers.
Many of the creative models that we have seen in the restaurant industry and grocery stores during this time have included “pick up at the door”, “take and bake”, and “contact-less delivery”. The ability to order ahead and pay ahead online have reduced the amount of human contact required. Online ordering can also help with workforce planning, given enough lead time to know how many products need to be created for the upcoming week. These options have always been available, but they weren’t embraced because change can seem to be difficult unless there is a radical reason to change.
Shifting gears about how and when items are delivered can radically improve the odds of an establishment remaining open during this time. Communicating through a variety of means, friends, advertising, Facebook, Websites, and news media can help send the message that a business is still “Open for Business”. Answering the phone, responding to emails, quick road signs and simple signs in the windows are all effective means of communicating that a business is responsive and capable to fulfill the demand signal.
Other success stories are companies that are repurposing their production lines to fulfill the current shortage of personal protective equipment or other shortages. A temporary shift in production can carry a business through, and build up a wealth of good Public Relations at the same time.
If your business is struggling to remain open currently, reach out to business planners and other experts to help you remain creative and responsive. Sometimes the solution is at your fingertips, other times it takes some open-mindedness to shift gears, but you only fail when you give up.
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- Written by Patrick R. McElhiney
- Category: Articles
Concord, NH – The National Weather Service in Gray, ME issued a flood warning for Belknap, Carroll, and Grafton counties through Tuesday.
NWS issued a flood warning for Grafton County from 5:40 P.M. today until 8:40 A.M. Tuesday morning, in Carroll County from 7:16 P.M. today until 5:20 P.M. Tuesday afternoon, and in Belknap and Grafton counties from 1:24 A.M. to 11:15 A.M. on Tuesday.
“A flood warning is issued when flooding is imminent or occurring,” HSEM Director Jennifer Harper said, “Residents should remain alert and heed any evacuation requests or other warnings from local public safety officials.”
Minor flooding is expected for the Pemigewasset River in Woodstock and in Plymouth and the Saco River in Conway.
Wind Advisories are in effect for Cheshire, Hillsborough, Merrimack, Strafford, and Sullivan counties until 7:00 P.M. and in Rockingham County until 10:00 P.M. tonight. Wind gusts could reach from 30 to 50 MPH. Gusty winds could blow around unsecured objects. Tree limbs could be blown down and a few power outages may result.
Report power outages to your electric utility:
o Eversource....................
o Liberty Utilities............... 1-855-349-9455
o NH Electric Co-Op.......... 1-800-343-6432
o Unitil........................
Stay clear of downed power lines and assume they are live. Report downed power lines to 9-1-1.
Harper also offered the following recommendations:
· Monitor local conditions, particularly in areas that have flooded before
· Turn around, don’t drown. Do not drive through floodwaters on roadways.
· Adjust speeds for road conditions – even ponding on roadways can be hazardous.
· Use extra caution when driving, especially if operating a high profile vehicle.
· Secure outdoor objects.
· Check on the welfare of elderly or handicapped relatives or neighbors.
· Know what to do and have the things you need to stay safe; go to ReadyNH.gov to learn more.
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- Written by Patrick R. McElhiney
- Category: Articles
DURHAM, N.H.—The next major eastern spruce budworm outbreak likely will hit the forests in the northeastern United States over the next few years, putting more than 11.4 million acres of forest and 94.8 million metric tons of stored carbon in spruce and balsam fir at risk. While salvaging these trees for energy or lumber increases carbon dioxide emissions in the short-term, researchers at the University of New Hampshire have found that certain forest management practices result in long-term benefits that can balance these short-term setbacks.
“Outbreaks from non-native insects such as the emerald ash borer threaten New Hampshire’s forests with widespread loss of native ash trees,” said John Gunn, research assistant professor of forest management and a researcher with the New Hampshire Agricultural Experiment Station. “Given pest threats and the potential for more frequent, large-scale destructive events like ice storms in a changing climate, this research aims to understand the carbon implications associated salvaging dead trees after such an event. If keeping carbon out of the atmosphere is a desired outcome, we wondered if it is better to leave dead trees standing to slowly decompose and emit carbon dioxide slowly, or is it better to harvest that tree and use it for lumber, paper or energy.”
Forests play an important role in mitigating the effects of climate change. Carbon dioxide moves in and out of forest ecosystems primarily via photosynthesis and decomposition. If more carbon dioxide is moving into the forest system compared to moving out, then forests act as a “sink” of carbon and provide an ecosystem service that benefits humans.
“When an event such as an outbreak of insect pests occurs that kills many trees at one time, landowners who rely on timber revenue often try to minimize financial loss through the ‘salvage’ of dead or dying trees,” said Gunn. “As New Hampshire forest owners saw following the 1998 ice storm, the decision to salvage dead trees had implications for which species grew back and what kind of quality wood products their land could produce. Now, with a greater awareness of the role of forests for mitigating climate change, it is also important to consider the carbon implications of such harvesting decisions.”
Researchers found that when compared to leaving dead trees in the forest, salvaging dead trees generally results in 10 to 20 years of excess emissions. This occurs because of the slow decay of dead wood and the movement of carbon from decaying wood into the forest floor and, eventually, the soil. However, when salvaged wood is used for energy or lumber, it offsets this increase, though some carbon dioxide is released to the atmosphere immediately, especially when wood is used for short-lived products.
“From a policymaking perspective, that period of 10 to 20 years where emissions are greater because of salvage harvesting is an important consideration,” he said. “Climate scientists warn that we need to address near-term emissions, so this outcome is potentially at odds with that objective. However, forests in the long term may be able to provide a better outcome if the risk of future disturbances is low and management decisions across the landscape include carbon storage objectives.”
The research was conducted by Gunn; Mark Ducey, professor of natural resources and the environment and experiment station researcher; Thomas Buchholz, senior scientist with the Spatial Informatics Group of Pleasanton, Calif.; and Ethan Belair, lecturer in natural resources and the environment. It is based on work supported by the NH Agricultural Experiment Station, through joint funding of the National Institute of Food and Agriculture, U.S. Department of Agriculture, under award number 1010675 and 1020142, and the state of New Hampshire. This project was supported by the Northeastern States Research Cooperative through funding made available by the USDA Forest Service and Spatial Informatics Group, LLC.
Founded in 1887, the NH Agricultural Experiment Station at the UNH College of Life Sciences and Agriculture is UNH’s original research center and an elemental component of New Hampshire's land-grant university heritage and mission.
The University of New Hampshire is a flagship research university that inspires innovation and transforms lives in our state, nation and world. More than 16,000 students from all 50 states and 71 countries engage with an award-winning faculty in top ranked programs in business, engineering, law, liberal arts and the sciences across more than 200 programs of study. UNH’s research portfolio includes partnerships with NASA, NOAA, NSF and NIH, receiving more than $100 million in competitive external funding every year to further explore and define the frontiers of land, sea and space.
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