In its weekly analysis, the Delaware Division of Public Health reported the percentage of positive coronavirus tests hovered around one percent as hospitalizations fell below 25.
Vaccinations of adults are now are on track to reach the 70% mark later this week.
A total of 109,636 positive cases of Covid-19 among Delaware residents (about 11 percent of the state’s population) have been reported to DPH since March 11, 2020.
The seven-day average for the percentage of total positive tests was 1.1%, a slight increase from 1% as of June 15.
In addition, 23 individuals are currently hospitalized due to Covid-19 in Delaware, a decrease of three from last week. Six of the hospitalized persons are critically ill, up to two from last week.
A total of 1,693 Delawareans have died due to complications from Covid-19. Thirteen deaths were reported in the last week. Twelve were from a review of vital statistics, with one newly reported death.
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, 847 were female, and 846 were male. A total of 845 individuals were from New Castle County, 349 were from Kent County, and 499 were from Sussex County.
Vaccinations
According to Monday data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 69.8% of Delawareans 18 or over have received at least one dose of the vaccine. This puts Delaware on the cusp of meeting the Biden-Harris Administration’s initial goal of 70% by July 4.
Based on the current vaccination rates, Delaware could reach the 70% goal by the middle of this week, although officials point to low demand for vaccines as a reason for concern.
The neighboring states of Maryland, Pennsylvania, and New Jersey have already reached the 70% goal
As of 12:01 a.m. on June 25, a total of 990,742 administered doses of the Covid-19 vaccine have been reported to the state’s immunization information system, DelVAX. A total of more than one million doses of vaccine have been administered, a figure that includes out-of-state residents, most of whom work in Delaware.
Among Delawareans, over 12, 501,422 have received at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine, and 432,948 Delawareans are fully vaccinated.
The state is moving toward 60% of its entire population receiving at least one dose of Covid-19 vaccine, with a little less than half its population fully vaccinated. (See graphic below).
Below is a graphic from Big Local News. Laptop and desktop computer users can click on the headers below or maps for data on cases, fatalities, and vaccinations in Delaware and other states.
Variant update
As of Friday, the Division of Public Health has identified Covid-19 variants in Delaware through routine surveillance of test specimens. These variants are based on the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) list of Variants of Concern and Variants of Interest.
| Variants of Concern | Variants of Interest | |||||
| Variant | Origin | # of Cases | Variant | Origin | # of Cases | |
| Alpha/B.1.1.7 | United Kingdom | 933 | Eta/B.1.525 | UK/Nigeria(formerly NEW York, US) | 2 | |
| Beta/B.1.351 | South Africa | 1 | Iota/B.1.526 | New York, US | 277 | |
| Epsilon/B.1.427 | California, US | 10 | B.1.526.1 | New York, US | 36 | |
| Epsilon/B.1.429 | California, US | 11 | ||||
| Gamma/P.1 | Brazil | 50 | ||||
| Delta/B.1.617.2 | India | 13 | ||||
The cases include 1,094 adults ranging in age from 18-98 and 239 individuals under the age of 18. A total of 1002 individuals were from New Castle County, 176 were from Kent County, and 155 were from Sussex County.
The Delaware Public Health Laboratory has sequenced 3,189 specimens for COVID-19 variant strains to date, including 62 within the past week.
The faster spreading Delta Variant is expected to take hold in the state and increase the number of Covid-19 cases, especially in low vaccination rates.
To date, 432,983 Delawareans have been fully vaccinated. Of those, there have been 397 breakthrough cases of Covid-19, less than one-tenth of 1 percent, well above the 90% effectiveness rate that has been listed for two-dose vaccines.
Breakthrough cases
A breakthrough case is defined as testing positive for Covid-19 after an individual has been fully vaccinated for two weeks or more – although it does not mean that the infection actually occurred after vaccination.
Nineteen of the reported breakthrough cases involved hospitalizations. Five individuals passed away, although it does not mean Covid-19 was the cause of death.
As of Thursday, June 24, there have been 2,744 positive Covid-19 cases involving long-term care residents, with 759 residents of Delaware long-term care facilities dying from complications.
