Gov. Chris Sununu said Wednesday that COVID-19 related hospitalizations in New Hampshire are headed in the right direction as the omicron surge begins to wane.
"We're below 200 hospitalizations. We're definitely on a really positive trend," he said.
Sununu said New Hampshire and Vermont now have the lowest hospitalization rates in the country.
"This is not a victory by any means, but we are trending in the right direction. If omicron keeps showing itself to not be as severe, there's no reason we can't keep building on this result and providing more flexibility in our healthcare system and within our communities as a whole," he added.
As neighboring states begin to lift statewide and school mask mandates, Sununu reminded residents that New Hampshire has not had a statewide mask mandate for nearly a year.
"COVID is likely not going away -- we know that," he said. "We need to learn to live with it and move on with our lives in many ways."
Sununu also said COVID-19 tests continue to be available for sale at all 70-plus state liquor stores for anyone who needs them and can't find them at the drug store. He said 5,000 of them have already been sold.
New Hampshire reported 786 new positive test results and 14 new deaths on Wednesday. There are currently 181 people hospitalized with COVID-19 in the state.
