Delaware reported five new deaths as hospitalizations and new cases moved toward figures last seen before the surge caused by the Covid-19 Omicron variant.
Of those who died, three were residents of New Castle County, two were from Kent County. They ranged in age fromm their 50s to their 90s. Four of the five had underlying health conditions. Three were not vacinated. The percentage of deaths from the unvaccinated has remains above 60%. The percentage of deaths from those who did not get booster shots is above 80.
Deaths are a lagging indicator and come as case surges level off or decline. The deaths were not unexpected, due to the sheer number of new cases that on one day went as high as 4,000. Even if the Omicron variant proves to be less deadly than Delta, it was still capable of causing serious cases and fatalities.
The death toll from Covid-19 is 2,598, roughly the number of residents in the Sussex County town of Bridgeville.
The other numbers
• 393 new positive cases, bringing the overall total to 252,068. The cumulative breakdown by county: New Castle, 142,887 cases; Kent, 48,617; Sussex, 59,658; county not yet known, 906.
• 12% of total tests were positive in the seven-day rolling average, down three-tenths of a percent from the previous day.
• 215 current hospitalizations, down 22 from the previous day. inlcuding 21 individuals in critical condition.
• 11 new hospital admissions, unchanged from the previous day.
• 4,896 tests performed daily in the seven-day averageup 233 from the previous day.
• 649,952 people fully vaccinated, up 350 from the previous day, according to the CDC Vaccine Tracker.
• 1,703,223 total vaccine doses (up 1,623 from the previous day, according to the CDC Vaccine Tracker.
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.
