Granite Staters may soon see more cases of COVID-19, Gov. Chris Sununu said during the first COVID-19 press conference in over a month.
The Governor announced the end of weekly COVID-19 press conferences in June, as new cases dropped into the tens. In June, he said he may hold a few press conferences after July 4 as needed.
Now, as cases are slowly climbing in New Hampshire, Sununu reclaimed his position behind the podium. The hike in cases is likely due to Delta, a highly contagious variant that now comprises more than 40% of COVID-19 cases in New England.
The overall prevalence of COVID-19 is still low in the state compared to numbers from the Winter but health officials are still asking the public to exercise caution.
“The increasing trends highlight the need for people to get vaccinated,” said Dr. Ben Chan, the state epidemiologist.
Sununu said any surges in COVID won’t be handled how they were pre-vaccinations, when asked about whether New Hampshire would reinstate some safety measures, like mask mandates, in response to rising numbers.
“Right now we’re not anticipating any of that,” he said.
He said the key to keeping case numbers low is vaccination. If New Hampshire sees a surge in COVID-19 cases in the fall, he said he expects 99% of the affected Granite Staters to be unvaccinated.
“We have the ability to control this virus,” he said. “We all have that individual responsibility to take that on ourselves and be educated and get vaccinated.”