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School officials will keep wary eye on spiking COVID cases as schooltime nears

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Students get back to business at Rocheter Schools including Spaulding High two weeks from tomorrow. (Courtesy photo)

CONCORD - With the opening of most Rochester schools right around the corner, increases in COVID-19 cases, including the Delta variant continue to increase throughout Strafford County and the state.
DHHS on Sunday announced 586 new positive test results for COVID-19 that also included cases reported on Friday and Saturday.
Among them were 56 from Strafford County, which has seen cases rise by almost a quarter in the seven-day period that ended Sunday.
During that same time hospitalizations in the county increased by 100 percent and ICU-bed usage increased by more than 3.5 percent, according to the CDC.
Meanwhile, almost 60 percent of the total county population has received one dose of the vaccine, while about 52 percent are fully vaccinated.
The Delta variant now comprises more than 40 percent of cases in New England. Exact figures from the NH CDC were not immediately available.
Current hospitalizations across the state stand as 61, up from 17 a month ago.
According to guidance parents received last week from Rochester schools, masks will continue to be optional but that could change if increases in positive cases, positivity rates or hospitalizations occur.
At this time the school is not requiring either students or staff to get the COVID vaccine, but they will be encouraging anyone to do so, including partnering with Strafford County Public Health Network to offer optional vaccine clinics during the school day throughout the school year.
While Rochester schools officially open on Sept. 1, Maple Street Magnet School opened on Aug. 9.
Rochester Schools Superintendent Kyle Repucci was not immediately available for comment on this story.

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