Cases on rise due to increased testing; COVID-19 claims Strafford County man

CONCORD - State health officials announced 84 new positive test results for COVID-19 on Thursday, but New Hampshire Gov. Chris Sununu said this week's resurgence in cases is due more to additional testing than increased spread of the virus.

Among the new cases are three under the age of 18, with the rest adults.

The new cases reside in Rockingham (32), Hillsborough County other than Manchester and Nashua (11), Strafford (6), Merrimack (3), Cheshire (2), Grafton (1) counties, and in the cities of Manchester (20) and Nashua (4).

Five new hospitalized cases were identified for a total of 218 (13%) of 1,670 cases.

DHHS also announced three additional deaths related to COVID-19, a man from Hillsborough County, a man from Strafford County and a man from Rockingham County, all who were 60 or older.

The number of confirmed cases in Strafford County is now 123.

With the increased number of cases this week, Sununu said on Thursday that it is becoming increasingly likely that the stay at home order may be extended beyond May 4, but a firm decision won't be made till next week.

He said increased testing played a role in the week's number of positive cases, adding that they had doubled the number of tests performed on residents over last week.

Meanwhile, the New Hampshire DMV has announced that all 20-day plates issued on or after Feb. 26 will now be valid through May 31.

In Maine, confirmed cases today stand at 937 with 150 hospitalizations and 44 deaths.