The Delaware Division of Public reported a continuing decline in new Covid-19 cases and the first instance of the faster-spreading South African variant.
As of 6 p.m. on Thursday, 87,874 positive cases of Covid-19 have been reported since March 11, 2020.
The seven-day average of new positive cases decreased to 256.7 as of Thursday, March 4. The case totals were influenced by 500 cases of Covid-19 in the University of Delaware community over the past two weeks.
The seven-day average for the percentage of persons who tested positive for Covid-19was 19.2 percent, decreased from 20.9 percent. The seven-day average for the total positive tests percentage was 4.6 percent, a decrease from 5.1 percent as of Tuesday, Feb. 23. There is a two-day lag for presenting data related to the percent of positive tests to account for the time delay between the date of the test and the date that the state receives the test result.
A total of 127 individuals are currently hospitalized due to Covid-19 in Delaware, which decreases 29 as of this time last week. Fifteen of the hospitalized persons are critically ill, down 11 from last week.
A total of 1,453 Delawareans have passed away due to complications from Covid-19. The state reported 35 additional deaths since last week’s update.
The total number of individuals who have died from COVID-19 ranges from younger than 5 to 104 years old. Of those who have died, 718 were female, and 735 were male. A total of 715 individuals were from New Castle County, 302 were from Kent County, and 436 were from Sussex County.
The Division of Public Health disclosed the first confirmed case of the Covid-19 variant, SARS-CoV-2 B.1.351, in Delaware. This variant is the same one that was first discovered in South Africa in October. Delaware now joins a list of 17 other states and jurisdictions reporting cases of the variant.
The case involved a New Castle County adult in their 50s who traveled outside of the country before testing Covid-19. The case was identified through routine surveillance of test specimens performed by the Division of Public Health Laboratory.
In addition to the newly identified South African variant case, the DPH has identified 12 confirmed British cases. The covid-19 variant in Delaware through routine surveillance of test specimens.
This variant is the same one that was first discovered in England in December. The cases include 11 adults ranging in age from 18-65 and a child under the age of 10. Eight individuals were from New Castle County, and four were from Kent County.
Preliminary data suggests the UK variant and Brazilian and South African variants may spread more easily and quickly.
Below an interactive dashboard with information available via zip code. For a deeper dive into information, log on to the state’s MyHealthyCommunity website.
