An internal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention slide presentation argues that “the war has changed” against COVID-19.
One New England state is entirely within the zone where people are advised to wear masks indoors in public settings, while two more, including Massachusetts, are almost there.
Almost every county in southern New England has either high or substantial transmission of COVID-19, according to the CDC. The federal agency's new guidance recommends that people in those counties wear masks in public, indoor settings, even if they're fully vaccinated, given the transmissibility of the delta variant.
Northern New England has less COVID transmission than the south, but transmission rates are up compared to last week.
New England has been at the forefront of the vaccine drive nationwide, and while its transmission rates are high, so is much of the rest of the country, according to the latest CDC data. And the vaccination rate is important, since the more people are vaccinated, the fewer hospitalizations are expected.
Here is where New England's states stand, based on CDC data showing where COVID transmission is substantial (50-99 cases per 100,000 people) or high transmission (100+ cases per 100,000 people) as of Tuesday afternoon.
Massachusetts
Two Massachusetts counties aren't in the substantial or high zones: Franklin and Hampshire.
New Hampshire
Three counties are in the substantial COVID transmission zone: Hillsborough, Rockingham and Strafford. The rest have moderate transmission.
Maine
Five Maine counties are in the substantial COVID transmission zone: York, Lincoln, Waldo, Penobscot and Somerset.
Rhode Island
All but one of Rhode Island's five counties -- Newport (not visible on the CDC map above) -- have enough COVID transmission for mask use to be federally recommended.
Vermont
Five of Vermont's counties have enough COVID transmission for mask use to be federally recommended: Bennington, Chittenden, Grand Isle, Franklin and Orleans.
Connecticut
All of Connecticut's counties have enough COVID transmission for mask use to be federally recommended.
