Covid-related hospitalizations continue to increase as daily case number hits 575

The number of people hospitalized with complications from coronavirus continues to rise. 

According to figures from the Delaware Division of Public Health, a total of 195 people were in the hospital with Covid-19 complications on the night before Thanksgiving. That’s up 12 from the previous day. The peak number of hospitalizations during the early days of the pandemic rose to more than 330.

The number of critically ill stood at 30. Despite the surge in hospitalizations,  the number of critically ill patients has remained fairly stable.

At a minimum, Delaware has 400 available beds for Covid-19 patients, with the state having plans in place for a surge in serious cases.   However, such cases add to workloads and stress for staff. A  surge could also lead to restrictions on elective surgeries and put further financial pressure on hospitals.

One new death was reported – an individual from New Castle County in their 70s with underlying health conditions.  The total number of Covid-19-related deaths in Delaware is 761. Earlier this week, Public Health Director Dr. Karyl Rattay, in dismissing comparisons of Covid-19 to flu, noted that yearly flu deaths have never been above 140.

Also reported were 575 new positive Covid-19 cases, bringing the total to 33,579. While more people are being tested, the number of positive cases is now more than five times the level reported during the summer.

Of those tested, 13.5 percent were positive in the seven-day rolling average (down two-tenths of a percent from the previous day).

When it came to total tests,  5.7 were positive,  down one-tenth of a percent from the previous day. The total test measurement takes into account people who have been tested more than once.

As word of the surge in cases got out and the Thanksgiving holiday, approached testing centers saw long lines of vehicles.  Walgreens testing sites moved  to an appointment-only approach.