According to the weekly report from the Delaware Division of Public Health, the number of new daily cases of Covid-19 rose slightly.
While cases numbers and hospitalizations are down from earlier in the fall, the decline has been gradual, leading to concerns about mini-outbreaks during and after the holidays.
Due to the growing number of vaccinations, no one is expecting a major surge in cases reported in winter 2020-2021.
The trend toward a higher number of cases continued to be seen in the Sunday summary with 378 new positive cases. The seven-day average of new cases rose to nearly 285, from 251 a week and a half ago.
On the plus side, hospitalizations fell to 132, down 18 from the previous day, including 16 individuals in critical condition. No new deaths were reported. Hospitalizations were as high as 169 in early November.
Should the trend continue, a lower number of hospitalizations would indicate that fewer serious cases are occurring despite an uptick in new daily positive tests.
The virus is still claiming victims, largely among the unvaccinated. An update on Saturday reported 16 deaths, including 12 from a review of Vital Statistics records.
Among the dead were seven residents of New Castle County, six from Kent County, and three from Sussex. They ranged in age from their 30s to their 80s.
Two of those who died did not have underlying health conditions and 14 were not vaccinated.
The deaths increased Delaware’s total number of Covid-related deaths to 2,141.
The weekly numbers as of Thursday night
- Total positive cases since March 11, 2020: 147,233
- 7-day average of new positive cases: 275.4, an increase from 250.6 last week
- 7-day average for the percentage of total positive tests: 5.6%, a decrease from 6% last week
- Hospitalizations: 150, a decrease of four from last week; critically ill: 18, a decrease of 6 from last week
- Total Covid-19 deaths: 2,125
- Total Covid-19 deaths since last week: 10, a decrease from 15 new deaths last week
Covid-19 vaccinations
- Total number of doses administered in Delaware: 1,330,216
- Percentage of Delawareans 12 and over who have received at least one dose (CDC data): 81.2%
- Percentage of Delawareans 18+ who received at least one dose (CDC data): 83.1%
- Percent of Delawareans who are fully vaccinated (CDC data): 60.5%
The CovidActNow dashboard shows Delaware still has a very high overall risk of Covid-19.
The highest rate of cases per 100,000 population is Kent, which has the lowest vaccination rate among the three counties.
The other numbers for Delaware
For more data, including breakdowns by age, sex, race/ethnicity, at the statewide, county, and, in some cases, ZIP code or census tract level, click here.
