Six counties in New Hampshire now have a “substantial level” of COVID-19 transmission, which the Centers for Disease Control says makes masks necessary indoors.
State health officials have issued no formal advisory to residents in those counties to begin wearing masks inside again. The state mask mandate lapsed in mid-April and most towns have let their local rules expire.
Due to the highly contagious Delta variant, the CDC tightened its mask guidance at the end July, recommending that both unvaccinated and vaccinated people wear masks in areas with substantial to high levels of community transmission. As of this week, this guidance applies to Grafton, Belknap, Strafford, Cheshire, Hillsborough, and Rockingham counties.
The CDC divides U.S. counties into four categories of COVID transmission – low, moderate, substantial and high – based on factors like population and new cases. Merrimack county is still deemed to have moderate community transmission. Community transmission levels are regularly updated on the CDC’s COVID Data Tracker.
Cases of COVID-19 have stayed low in New Hampshire for most of the summer until a couple of weeks ago, when daily numbers started climbing up, likely due to the Delta variant which now comprises more than 80% of cases in New England.
The Department of Health announced 138 new cases of the virus on Thursday, the highest number of daily cases since May 2021.
People that meet certain economic criteria and live in the six counties with substantial transmission may now also be protected by the CDC’s eviction moratorium, which prevents landlords from evicting tenants behind on rent.
While masks help protect you and others, the best way to protect yourself against Delta is getting the COVID-19 vaccine.
A study out of the United Kingdom found that two doses of the Pfizer vaccine were about 96% effective at preventing hospitalization due to the Delta variant. Another study published in the Lancet published similar results. Scientists who have performed laboratory experiments on the Moderna vaccine concluded it was 72% effective against the variant, though more research needs to be done.
A new study from NYU researchers found that while someone who has received the Johnson & Johnson vaccine is better protected than an unvaccinated person, the shot may be much less effective against the Delta variant than previous strains.
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