Omicron Fueling ‘Strong' New COVID Surge in NH; Sununu Worried at Hospitalizations

Omicron Fueling ‘Strong' New COVID Surge in NH; Sununu Worried at Hospitalizations New Hampshire is in the midst of an omicron-fueled COVID surge that will bring the number of new cases to new heights, Gov. Chris Sununu and other administration officials said Wednesday. “There is a very strong resurgence of omicron across New Hampshire,” Sununu said at a briefing on the state’s pandemic response. “We are likely to see more cases than… Staff Reports NBC Boston

New Hampshire is in the midst of an omicron-fueled COVID surge that will bring the number of new cases to new heights, Gov. Chris Sununu and other administration officials said Wednesday.

"There is a very strong resurgence of omicron across New Hampshire," Sununu said at a briefing on the state's pandemic response. "We are likely to see more cases than we have ever seen."

The level of hospitalizations -- 415 as of Wednesday -- was high enough to scare the governor, he said, and he expects it to stay high for weeks if not months.

Just last week, Granite State officials had said cases appeared to be leveling off, but over the past few days, New Hampshire has been seeing about double the number of new cases that it had a few weeks ago, state epidemiologist Dr. Benjamin Chan said.

"We believe that this is likely due to the omicron surge now hitting New Hampshire," he said.

Asked what percentage of COVID cases were omicron, Sununu said it was only in the last week when more than half appeared to be the new variant, but that they now represent "the vast majority."

Test positivity remains high, at over 21%, and an average of 9-10 people are dying with COVID in New Hampshire each day, Chan said.  ...