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- Written by Patrick R. McElhiney
- Category: Articles
CONCORD, N.H. - The Concord DMV will be closed Wednesday, April 8, for enhanced cleaning and to allow the Department of Health and Human Services to conduct a close-contact investigation following the identification of a Concord DMV staff member who tested positive for COVID-19. The staff member does not have contact with the public during the business day. Any person who is identified as a close contact will be notified.
The Concord DMV is reaching out to customers to reschedule appointments. The Concord DMV will resume appointment only and drop box services on Thursday, April 9.
During the closure, drop box services will be uninterrupted at Dover, Manchester, Newport, and Twin Mountain, available Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. until 4:15 p.m.
For all other transactions, please call DMV customer service at 227-4000 to determine availability of services.
Customers should take advantage of the DMV’s online services, including online driver license renewal, ID renewals, and online ticket pay at www.nh.gov/dmv.
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- Written by Patrick R. McElhiney
- Category: Articles
DURHAM, N.H.—In a nationwide effort to alter behaviors and curb the spread of the coronavirus, research from the Carsey School of Public Policy at the University of New Hampshire found a majority of Granite Staters made changes, but those who approved of President Trump’s handling of the response to the COVID-19 pandemic, and who regularly watch Fox News, were less likely to alter their routines due to COVID-19.
“Overall, close to 77% of New Hampshire residents made lifestyle adjustments such as leaving home less often, but this still leaves a minority that did not—and that group poses a critical challenge for efforts to slow the spread of the disease,” said Tom Safford, associate professor of sociology and Carsey faculty fellow.
The survey done in mid-March showed N.H. residents had polarized opinions about Trump’s handling of the pandemic with 40% strongly or somewhat approving and 56% strongly or somewhat disapproving reflecting general criticism of the administration which had come under fire for not following advice from scientists and medical experts in such key areas as testing, health-worker protections, medical preparations, and individual behavior.
In direct contrast, support among residents was high for Governor Sununu’s response to the COVID-19 situation with 67% strongly or somewhat approving, only 13% strongly or somewhat disapproving and 20% expressing more neutral opinions.
Despite disappointment with the Trump administration’s actions, researchers found that a large majority of New Hampshire residents, 77%, say they trust government science agencies such as the Centers for Disease Control for information about the coronavirus.
“As the COVID-19 outbreak intensifies, both information and misinformation have spread as rapidly as the virus itself with more people expressing more trust and confidence in science agencies compared with the president or government during this crisis,” said Lawrence Hamilton, professor of sociology and senior Carsey fellow.
When it came to the role media played in conveying public health recommendations, researchers found a striking 24-point gap in behavioral changes related to the frequency of watching one specific network, Fox News. Overall, 81% of those who never watched Fox News reporting major behavioral changes around the COVID-19 warnings, compared with just 57 percent of those who watch Fox News every day.
The survey was conducted by the Carsey School of Public Policy, working with UNH’s Survey Center, between March 17 and 26. Findings were based on responses by 650 NH residents that completed an online survey and were part of the Granite State Panel, an effort by the Survey Center to investigate new ways of gathering and understanding the opinion of New Hampshire residents. Granite State Panel members are recruited from randomly selected landline and cell phone numbers across New Hampshire and are sent surveys periodically. The survey was started when New Hampshire had only 17 confirmed COVID-19 cases and the U.S. total was around 22,000. On the final day of the survey period, Governor Sununu issued a stay-at-home order.
The Carsey School of Public Policy is nationally recognized for research, policy education and bringing people together for thoughtful dialogue to address important societal challenges. The school develops and facilitates innovative, responsive and equitable solutions at all levels of government and in the for-profit and nonprofit sectors.
The University of New Hampshire 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, health and human services, liberal arts and the sciences across more than 200 programs of study. As one of the nation’s highest-performing research universities, UNH partners with NASA, NOAA, NSF and NIH, and receives more than $110 million in competitive external funding every year to further explore and define the frontiers of land, sea, and space.
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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 6, 2020, DHHS announced 46 new positive test results for COVID-19. There have now been 715 cases of COVID-19 diagnosed in New Hampshire. Several of the new cases are still under investigation. Of those with complete information, there are three females and one male under the age of 18 and the rest are adults with 54% being female and 37% being male. The new cases reside in Rockingham (15), Hillsborough County other than Manchester and Nashua (4), Merrimack (6), Strafford (2), Cheshire (2), and Belknap (1) counties, and in the cities of Manchester (11) and Nashua (4). The county of residence is being determined for one new case. Nine new COVID-19-related hospitalizations were reported; thus far, 103 (14%) of the 715 positive cases have been hospitalized. Eighteen 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.
Current Situation in New Hampshire
|
County |
Cases |
|
Belknap |
18 |
|
Carroll |
19 |
|
Cheshire |
13 |
|
Coos |
1 |
|
Grafton |
41 |
|
Hillsborough - Other |
87 |
|
Hillsborough - Manchester |
116 |
|
Hillsborough - Nashua |
69 |
|
Merrimack |
52 |
|
Rockingham |
246 |
|
Strafford |
46 |
|
Sullivan |
6 |
|
County TBD |
1 |
|
Grand Total |
715 |
New Hampshire 2019 Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) Summary Report
(data updated April 6, 2020, 9:00 AM)
|
NH Persons with COVID-191 |
715 |
|
Recovered |
151 (21%) |
|
Deaths Attributed to COVID-19 |
9 (1%) |
|
Total Current COVID-19 Cases |
555 |
|
Persons Who Have Been Hospitalized for COVID-19 |
103 (14%) |
|
Persons Tested Negative at Selected Laboratories2 |
8,019 |
|
Persons with Specimens Submitted to NH PHL |
4,183 |
|
Persons with Test Pending at NH PHL3 |
49 |
|
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.
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.
3Includes 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 Patrick R. McElhiney
- Category: Articles
DURHAM, N.H.—As the coronavirus spreads so does the threat to medical personnel on the front lines of care. With the number of cases expected to surge in the United States and supplies of the much needed N95 masks dwindling, medical communities are desperately looking for alternative solutions for disinfecting masks that healthcare workers are being forced to reuse. As a nationally known expert in disinfectant methods, Jim Malley, professor of civil and environmental engineering at the University of New Hampshire, says methods like UV light, heat & humidity and vaporized hydrogen peroxide are the best known viable practices and while they are not long-term solutions, if used correctly, they can be effective in emergency situations.
Malley can be reached at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or (603) 759-1541.
“This is a unique and challenging time and medical communities are looking beyond their normal practices to find ways to keep their staff safe while treating COVID-19 patients,” said Malley. “UV light offers a potential option that can be a safe and cost-effective way to sanitize masks, if the right amount of light, for the right length of time, is dosed by a well understood optical device.”
Malley has over 30 years of experience using chemical and physical options, in particular UV, to disinfect water, air and surfaces from bacteria, viruses, and protozoan cysts. His expertise has helped guide front line medical practitioners and first responders from Boston to Denver and beyond looking for facts on the most effective way to use the UV lights. They are being used in hospitals and hanging in ambulances so EMTs can sanitize their surfaces and implements them on the go. Malley estimates about a third of the calls he receives are from healthcare professionals in rural areas that don’t have the same resources as those in cities.
“A lot of large vaporized hydrogen peroxide systems are being set up in cities around the country to help sanitize masks but UV is a more feasible low tech and low volume option for first responders and individual healthcare workers often found in rural areas,” said Malley. “There are pros and cons to both but the need is just so great and growing every day from nursing homes to hospitals, labs, and ambulances—these disinfectant options are tools in a toolbox and right now we need to use all the tools we have.”
UV light penetrates the mask and works by damaging the molecular bonds that hold together the nucleic acids (DNA or RNA) of the viruses or bacteria and stops them from infecting and/or replicating within a human cell. The UV light used is a short wave and cannot be seen by the human eye so to effectively kill the virus requires an understanding of the irradiance—the amount of light energy or UV intensity—the length of time the mask is dosed, and knowledge of the UV optics of the disinfection device.
Malley stresses that it is important that masks are clean because any substance on the inside or the outside of the mask, even something as simple as sunscreen, cosmetics or lip balm, could block the UV light from working on a particular portion of the mask.
“In a perfect world, masks should be worn once and discarded,” said Malley. “But in a pandemic, with all the supply shortages and strains on healthcare system infection control practices, disinfection practices like heat and humidity applications), ultraviolet light and/or hydrogen peroxide vapor, offer alternative disinfectant options for PPEs.”
The University of New Hampshire 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, health and human services, liberal arts and the sciences across more than 200 programs of study. As one of the nation’s highest-performing research universities, UNH partners with NASA, NOAA, NSF and NIH, and receives more than $110 million in competitive external funding every year to further explore and define the frontiers of land, sea, and space.
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