State, city officials disagree on number of cases among Rochester residents

CONCORD - State and local numbers of confirmed cases of COVID-19 among Rochester residents were at odds with each other on Friday.

Numbers provided The Rochester Voice by city officials showed two residents with confirmed cases, while the number indicated on the state COVID-19 map indicated 5-9. The state, in fact, showed 5-9 confirmed cases in Rochester beginning on Wednesday.

"According to NH DHHS Rochester still has just two cases of COVID-19," John Guilfoil of John Guilfoil Public Relations said in an email around 3 p.m. "We are continuing to check for any updates."

Beginning on April 8, state DHHS identified Rochester as having 5-9 confirmed cases. They continue to show the same number of confirmed cases as of Saturday afternoon.

On Saturday evening the Joint Information Center, which is charged with disseminating public information regarding the pandemic, responded to a Voice inquiry regarding the disparity in numbers with this unsigned reply: "The map and data released daily reflects the most recent data, including any updates to cases announced in the previous day."

It should be noted that five additional cases of COVID-19 in Strafford County were announced on Saturday, meaning if Rochester saw three of those they could, in fact, be in the 5-9 category now.