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- Written by Patrick R. McElhiney
- Category: Articles
DURHAM, N.H.— In a nationwide effort to get people to stay at home and not travel between states or to vacation homes, new research out of the University of New Hampshire finds rural counties across the United States with high numbers of seasonal homes saw higher rates of COVID-19 cases than either urban or other rural areas.
“These findings are consistent with anecdotal reports from popular vacation spots that were seeing an increase in visitors, including some who may have unknowingly been infected, that are leaving urban areas and trying socially distance at second homes and seasonal rental properties,” said Jessica Carson, research assistant professor at UNH’s Carsey School of Public Policy.
The study found that in the nation’s 199 rural counties where seasonal housing accounts for 25 percent or more of all housing units, average cases per 100,000 people were more than twice as high as in other rural counties and 15 percent higher than in urban areas. While findings correlate to the trend of people heading to vacation homes, there are several possible explanations for the higher prevalence of cases in these areas, including differences in the level of COVID-19 testing and a higher median age.
“Rural America is older and these counties in particular can be popular retirement destinations, so folks may skew older there,” said Carson. “Relatedly, incomes may also be higher there, meaning people could be more likely to have health insurance and transportation to get tested, which could influence the likelihood of diagnosis and higher number of cases.”
Carson adds that these rural areas also offer a lot of beautiful natural amenities, like hiking, biking, rock climbing, and might draw foot traffic and increase the number of day visitors who may have unknowingly brought the virus into these places. Other studies support the fact that counties known for their recreational activities have a higher number of cases with coronavirus.
Some of the rural counties with high shares of seasonal housing include popular vacation spots in New England like Coos, Grafton, Carroll and Belknap in New Hampshire, Nantucket and Dukes Counties (which include Martha’s Vineyard and Nantucket islands) in Massachusetts and Lincoln and Oxford Counties in Maine.
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 Saturday, April 11, 2020, DHHS announced 45 new positive test results for COVID-19. There have now been 929 cases of COVID-19 diagnosed in New Hampshire. Several cases are still under investigation. Of those with complete information, all are adults with 29% being female and 71% being male. The new cases reside in Hillsborough County other than Manchester and Nashua (14), Rockingham (8), Merrimack (5), Strafford (5), and Cheshire (1) counties, and in the cities of Nashua (6) and Manchester (5). The county of residence is being determined for one new case. Twelve new COVID-19-related hospitalizations were reported; thus far, 146 (16%) of the 929 positive cases have been hospitalized. Ten 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 announced one additional death related to COVID-19. We offer our sympathies to the family and friends.
- A female resident of Rockingham County, 60 years of age or older
Current Situation in New Hampshire
|
County |
Cases |
|
Belknap |
21 |
|
Carroll |
28 |
|
Cheshire |
18 |
|
Coos |
2 |
|
Grafton |
43 |
|
Hillsborough - Other |
134 |
|
Hillsborough - Manchester |
147 |
|
Hillsborough - Nashua |
86 |
|
Merrimack |
71 |
|
Rockingham |
314 |
|
Strafford |
58 |
|
Sullivan |
6 |
|
County TBD |
1 |
|
Grand Total |
929 |
New Hampshire 2019 Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) Summary Report
(data updated April 11, 2020, 9:00 AM)
|
NH Persons with COVID-191 |
929 |
|
Recovered |
236 (25%) |
|
Deaths Attributed to COVID-19 |
23 (2%) |
|
Total Current COVID-19 Cases |
670 |
|
Persons Who Have Been Hospitalized for COVID-19 |
146 (16%) |
|
Persons Tested Negative at Selected Laboratories2 |
9,996 |
|
Persons with Specimens Submitted to NH PHL |
4,952 |
|
Persons with Test Pending at NH PHL3 |
119 |
|
Persons Being Monitored in NH (approximate point in time) |
2,275 |
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.
- Details
- 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 Sunday, April 12, 2020, DHHS announced 57 new positive test results for COVID-19. There have now been 985 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 65% being female and 35% being male. The new cases reside in Rockingham (31), Hillsborough County other than Manchester and Nashua (9), Grafton (2), Merrimack (2), Strafford (2) counties, Belknap (1), and Cheshire (1), and in the cities of Manchester (6) and Nashua (2). The county of residence is being determined for one new case. Six new COVID-19-related hospitalizations were reported; thus far, 152 (15%) of the 985 positive cases have been hospitalized. At least nine 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 |
22 |
|
Carroll |
28 |
|
Cheshire |
19 |
|
Coos |
2 |
|
Grafton |
45 |
|
Hillsborough - Other |
144 |
|
Hillsborough - Manchester |
153 |
|
Hillsborough - Nashua |
88 |
|
Merrimack |
73 |
|
Rockingham |
345 |
|
Strafford |
59 |
|
Sullivan |
6 |
|
County TBD |
1 |
|
Grand Total |
985 |
New Hampshire 2019 Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) Summary Report
(data updated April 12, 2020, 9:00 AM)
|
NH Persons with COVID-191 |
985 |
|
Recovered |
239 (24%) |
|
Deaths Attributed to COVID-19 |
23 (2%) |
|
Total Current COVID-19 Cases |
723 |
|
Persons Who Have Been Hospitalized for COVID-19 |
152 (15%) |
|
Persons Tested Negative at Selected Laboratories2 |
10,222 |
|
Persons with Specimens Submitted to NH PHL |
5,081 |
|
Persons with Test Pending at NH PHL3 |
125 |
|
Persons Being Monitored in NH (approximate point in time) |
2,275 |
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.
- Details
- 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 Friday, April 10, 2020, DHHS announced 66 new positive test results for COVID-19. There have now been 885 cases of COVID-19 diagnosed in New Hampshire. Several cases are still under investigation. Of those with complete information, all are adults with 48% being female and 52% being male. The new cases reside in Rockingham (29), Hillsborough County other than Manchester and Nashua (12), Strafford (4), Merrimack (3), Cheshire (3), Coos (1), and Carroll (1) counties, and in the cities of Manchester (8) and Nashua (5). Seven new COVID-19-related hospitalizations were reported; thus far, 134 (15%) of the 885 positive cases have been hospitalized. Nine 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 announced one additional death related to COVID-19. We offer our sympathies to the family and friends.
· A female resident of Hillsborough County, 60 years of age or older
Current Situation in New Hampshire
|
County |
Cases |
|
Belknap |
21 |
|
Carroll |
28 |
|
Cheshire |
17 |
|
Coos |
2 |
|
Grafton |
43 |
|
Hillsborough - Other |
121 |
|
Hillsborough - Manchester |
142 |
|
Hillsborough - Nashua |
81 |
|
Merrimack |
66 |
|
Rockingham |
305 |
|
Strafford |
53 |
|
Sullivan |
6 |
|
Grand Total |
885 |
New Hampshire 2019 Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) Summary Report
(data updated April 10, 2020, 9:00 AM)
|
NH Persons with COVID-191 |
885 |
|
Recovered |
234 (26%) |
|
Deaths Attributed to COVID-19 |
22 (2%) |
|
Total Current COVID-19 Cases |
629 |
|
Persons Who Have Been Hospitalized for COVID-19 |
134 (15%) |
|
Persons Tested Negative at Selected Laboratories2 |
9,608 |
|
Persons with Specimens Submitted to NH PHL |
4,826 |
|
Persons with Test Pending at NH PHL3 |
93 |
|
Persons Being Monitored in NH (approximate point in time) |
3,350 |
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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