Kent County joined New Castle and Sussex as areas with “substantial” transmission of the Covid-19 virus., according to the U.S. Center for Disease Control and Prevention.
The counties are just below the “high red” classification, with the faster-spreading Delta variant accounting for slightly more than half of test samples. New daily Covid-19 cases remain above 100 after dropping below 50 earlier in the summer.
The CDC recommends that fully vaccinated individuals wear masks indoors in areas with an elevated number of cases.
After the surge in cases, DPH brought back its daily reports on social media after earlier moving to a weekly format.
Delaware has seen a steady increase in the number of Covid-19 cases in the past month. Daily positive tests have increased six-fold from summer 2021 lows.
- 125 new positive cases, bringing the overall total to 111,681.
- No new deaths.
- 3.9% of total tests were positive in the seven-day rolling average, up one-tenth of a percent from the previous day. The total test rate had been in the 1% range earlier in the summer.
- 40 current hospitalizations, up 3 from the previous day, including 10 individuals in critical condition.
- 12 new hospital admissions, down 4 from the previous day
Vaccinations
According to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 72.6% of Delawareans 18 or older have received at least one dose of the vaccine, up three-tenths of one percent from a day earlier.
Concern over the rising number of cases contributed to the increase in the number of vaccinations. Delaware had seen an average daily increase in vaccinations of one-tenth of one percent or less.
As of Monday, 471,600 Delawareans were fully vaccinated, up 418 from the previous day. A total of 1,060,615 total vaccine doses were administered, up 1,118 from the previous day.
Variant cases in Delaware
On Friday, July 30, DPH identified Covid-19 variants in Delaware through routine surveillance of test specimens.
Thirty-five percent of the test results sequenced over the last week were positive for a variant strain of Covid-19. Of the 47 variant-positive samples, the Delta variant made up 51% of the variant strains.
Variants of Concern |
|
Variants of Interest |
||||
Variant |
Origin |
# of Cases |
Variant |
Origin |
# of Cases |
|
Alpha/B.1.1.7 |
United Kingdom |
989 |
Eta/B.1.525 |
UK/Nigeria(formerly NEW York, US) |
2 |
|
Beta/B.1.351 |
South Africa |
1 |
Iota/B.1.526/B.1526.1 |
New York, US |
329 |
|
Gamma/P.1 |
Brazil |
63 |
Epsilon/B.1.427 |
California, US |
10 |
|
Delta/B.1.617.2 |
India |
55 |
Epsilon/B.1.429 |
California, US |
11 | |
Breakthrough cases
Vaccination significantly reduces the chance of developing Covid-19 or becoming seriously ill from it.
To date, 469,873 Delawareans have been fully vaccinated. Of those, there have been 567 breakthrough cases of Covid-19, occurring in approximately one-tenth of one percent of vaccinated individuals.
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.
Twenty-two of the reported breakthrough cases involved hospitalizations. Eight individuals passed away, although it does not mean Covid was the cause of death. Breakthrough cases are extremely rare, and the science is clear, the best way to prevent serious illness from COVID-19 is to get vaccinated.
