Amid slight uptick in COVID cases, CDC now puts most of NH at 'medium' transmission

Like other New England states, New Hampshire has seen a slight uptick in COVID-19 case reports recently, and most counties are now considered to have "medium" levels of transmission, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

This is likely due to the high transmissibility of the Ba.2 variant of omicron — currently the nation's dominant strain — and relaxed precautions, like not wearing face masks in public.

But whether you need to don a mask again is up to your personal risk factors, local and federal health experts say.

"The three major factors — and vaccination and boosting, on the other side of it — [are]: What is the level of community transmission, what is the risk to yourself and what is the risk to others around you," said Dr. Aalok Khole, an infectious disease physician at Cheshire Medical Center in Keene.

As of Monday morning, New Hampshire health officials knew of 2,102 active COVID-19 cases statewide, a continued increase from when cases began to trend upward again in late March.

Eighteen people were hospitalized for the viral disease as of that same day and there had been 2,465 cumulative deaths. (Late last month, the state changed how it reports COVID-19 hospitalization numbers to include only patients being treated with remdesivir or dexamthasone, drugs used for patients with moderate to severe illness. Those in the hospital with milder symptoms or for another primary reason are no longer included, even if they are still taking up a hospital bed.)

Recently, the CDC bumped Cheshire County and many other counties in the state from being categorized as low to medium transmission. The CDC bases this on new COVID-19 case numbers and hospitalization figures, as well as the proportion of hospitals' capacity devoted to COVID patients.

A majority of the rest of the United States — including New Hampshire's Sullivan and Merrimack counties — still has low transmission, the CDC data show, but several New England states are seeing a spike in cases, including Vermont and Maine.

The federal agency does not say masking is needed in medium-transmission communities unless you are at high risk of developing severe complications from the viral disease, such as those who are immunocompromised, or you are showing symptoms or have a positive test.

However, it notes that you may choose to mask at any time.

The CDC also recommends staying up to date with your COVID-19 vaccines — as health officials say it’s the best way to protect yourself from the virus — and getting tested if you start showing symptoms of the disease.

Khole, of Cheshire Medical Center, said universal masking won't be necessary again unless counties reach levels of high transmission.

He added that with allergy season upon us, people should not assume any COVID-like symptoms are allergies, and said everyone should continue to get tested when possible.

For more information and resources about COVID-19, visit sentinelsource.com/news/coronavirus.

To schedule a COVID-19 vaccine or booster appointment, visit vaccines.nh.gov or call 2-1-1.

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Olivia Belanger can be reached at 603-352-1234, ext. 1439, or obelanger@keenesentinel.com. Follow her on Twitter @OBelangerKS.

These articles are being shared by partners in The Granite State News Collaborative. For more information visit collaborativenh.org.