Rising cases of COVID-19 are creeping into New Hampshire’s “normal” summer.

On Tuesday, 61 new cases of COVID-19 were recorded in the state, the single highest one-day count of new cases in six weeks.

The likely culprit responsible for the rising cases is the highly contagious Delta variant of COVID-19 that has also been known to cause more serious illness than previously dominant variants.

New Hampshire hospitals are already seeing more COVID-19 patients than they have in over a month.

The Delta variant now comprises more than 40% of cases in New England – a startling figure when you consider that a little more than a month ago, it made up only 3% of cases.

At the state’s first COVID-19 press conference in more than a month, Dr. Ben Chan, the state epidemiologist, said other parts of the country are already seeing significant outbreaks due to the variant.

“To prevent some of the surges that are being seen in other parts of the country due to the Delta variant, we still need to take steps to prevent the spread of COVID-19,” he said.

He said even though COVID-19 cases are still relatively low now, Delta could be responsible for a more significant peak soon.

“We do expect that rates of community transmission will increase again in the future, whether that’s in the coming weeks or months,” he said. “We believe certainly by fall and winter we may see increasing levels of COVID-19.”

The best way to protect yourself against Delta is getting the COVID-19 vaccine, and existing vaccines are more than 90% effective at preventing more severe disease from the variant.

But even for the vaccinated, the rise of the Delta variant has many reconsidering whether it’s time to don masks again, especially as some health agencies have urged inoculated people to continue to wear masks in public.

If you’re unvaccinated, most experts agree you should be masked. If you’re vaccinated, there is no single answer.

Ultimately, health officials say, the decision comes down to personal circumstances – the prevalence of COVID-19 in your area, whether you are immunocompromised or live with someone who has not been vaccinated.

Chan said that, as a medical doctor and epidemiologist, he tends to be more risk-averse.

He still feels comfortable going maskless outside but since he’s used to wearing face coverings during long hospital shifts, he defaults to wearing a mask in higher-risk settings.

“If I’m walking into a store indoors and I don’t know who’s around me, I’m fully vaccinated but I want that maximum level of protection for myself,” he said. “Also for family. I have a child at home, who’s not able to be fully vaccinated.”

Meanwhile, Dr. Michael Calderwood, an infectious disease expert and chief quality officer at Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center in Lebanon, said he feels comfortable going without a mask in most situations.

“I would not feel that way if I were not vaccinated,” he said. “In fact, I’d be very fearful.”