Granite State Times

COVID-19 cases in New Hampshire have reached an all-time high, and a Dartmouth researcher is recommending mask mandates to counter the surge, its most serious since the pandemic began in the U.S.

New Hampshire Public Radio (NHPR) reported that, as of Dec. 7, the state leads the nation in per capita rates of COVID-19 infections and is among the state with the most hospitalizations.

Gov. Chris Sununu (R) vowed action in the face of rising cases.

Gov. Chris Sununu | Twitter

“As we continue to see high hospitalizations, we're rolling out new tools to expand hospital capacity, provide support to the health care system and increase access to both testing and vaccination opportunities," Sununu tweeted on Dec. 8.

The governor told NHPR that he and his administration were preparing for a winter spike, which Dartmouth policy fellow Anne Sosin said was expected but preventable.

According to Sosin, New Hampshire officials aren’t doing enough to slow the surge.

“We have public health tools that we can deploy to prevent and mitigate surges,” Sosin said, according to NHPR. “And it's not clear that the state of New Hampshire has employed the full toolkit of policies that are at our disposal.”

The researcher added that indoor mask mandates could’ve reduced the rise in cases. New Hampshire’s statewide mask mandate ended in April of 2021.