COVID-19 numbers continue to rise

The average number of new daily COVID-19 cases rose to 607 as the Delaware Division of Public Health reports rates, hospitalizations and critically ill continue to climb.

The seven-day average for the percentage of persons who tested positive for COVID-19 increased from 13.7 percent as of Nov. 26, to 20.7 percent as of Thursday, Dec. 3. As of Dec. 1, the seven-day average for the percentage of total tests that were positive was 8.2 percent, up from 6.1 percent on Nov. 24. There is a two-day lag for presenting data related to percent of tests that are positive to account for the time delay between the date of the test and the date that DPH receives the test result.

A total of 38,398 positive cases of COVID-19 among Delaware residents have been reported to DPH since March 11, including 18,371 individuals who are considered recovered. The number of new daily cases each day this week has remained elevated with the seven-day average increasing to 607.7 as of Dec. 3. In addition, 288 individuals are currently hospitalized due to COVID-19 in Delaware, an increase of 101 from the total as of last Friday’s update. Thirty-seven of the hospitalized persons are critically ill, up six from last week.

A total of 782 Delawareans have passed away due to complications from COVID-19. The state reported 19 additional deaths since last week’s update, including three as a result of a review of Vital Statistics records. The total number of individuals who have died from COVID-19 ranges in age from 21 to 104 years old. Of those who have died, 401 were female and 381 were male. A total of 385 individuals were from New Castle County, 133 were from Kent County, and 264 were from Sussex County.

To protect personal health information, DPH will not confirm specific information about any individual case, even if other persons or entities disclose it independently.

Delaware COVID-19 data
The latest Delaware COVID-19 case statistics cumulatively since March 11, provided as of 6 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 3, include:

• 38,398 total positive cases
  • New Castle County cases: 21,753
  • Kent County cases: 5,651
  • Sussex County cases: 10,899
  • Unknown County: 95
  • Females: 20,525; Males: 17,813; Unknown Sex: 60
  • Age range: 0 to 104
  • Currently hospitalized: 288; Critically ill: 37 (This data represents individuals currently hospitalized in a Delaware hospital regardless of residence, and is not cumulative.)
  • Delawareans recovered: 18,371
  • 396,669 negative cases
  • 760,804 total tests administered as of Dec. 3

Generally, Delaware considers patients recovered after at least 24 hours have passed since the resolution of fever without the use of fever-reducing medications and/or improvement in symptoms, and at least 10 days have passed since symptoms first appeared. Individuals who tested positive who have not had any symptoms are considered recovered after at least 10 days have passed since the date of their first positive COVID-19 test with no subsequent illness.

Aggregate K-12 school-related COVID-19 statistics
The Division of Public Health is providing statewide aggregate data on the total number of COVID-19 positive cases among students and staff who were in-person at a school or child care facility while potentially infectious, reported to DPH since Sept. 1, 2020. To determine the start of the infectious period, or when others may have been exposed to someone infectious, DPH looks 48 hours prior to the onset of symptoms or 48 hours prior to testing for those individuals who had no symptoms. These data only indicate potential exposure to COVID-19 in these settings, not whether exposure actually occurred. Please note, these figures do not indicate that the infections were caused from being in the school setting.

Total number of COVID-19 positive students and staff, statewide, who were in-person at a school or child care facility while potentially infectious, reported to DPH between Sept. 1 and Dec. 3:

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Long-term care information

DPH continues to investigate COVID-19 outbreaks in long-term care facilities throughout the state. The following facilities have experienced significant ongoing outbreaks since late September. Resident and staff tallies represent cumulative case totals between Sept. 25 and Dec. 3:

• Kentmere Rehabilitation and Health Care Center in Wilmington; 55 residents and 47 staff members
  • Cadia Healthcare Silverside in Wilmington; 50 residents and 38 staff members.
  • Regency Healthcare and Rehabilitation Center in Wilmington; 74 residents and 42 staff
  • Lofland Park in Seaford, 19 residents and 11 staff
  • Cadia Healthcare Capitol in Dover; 45 residents and 26 staff
  • Delmar Nursing and Rehabilitation Center in Delmar; 38 residents and 32 staff
  • The Moorings at Lewes in Lewes; 14 residents and 29 staff
  • Oak Bridge Terrace at Cokesbury Village in Hockessin; 14 residents and 13 staff

Staff members may include health care and non-health care personnel, such as facility vendors or other individuals working in the long-term care facility who may not be full-time facility employees. As facility outbreak investigations close, they will be removed from this list.

Information related to positive cases and deaths among residents at long-term care facilities will be updated weekly each Friday, using information reported as of 6 p.m. Thursday. There have been a total of 1,651 positive COVID-19 cases cumulatively involving long-term care residents, and 436 residents of Delaware long-term care facilities have died from complications related to COVID-19.

The locations and number of deaths involving residents of long-term care facilities are:

• Atlantic Shores Rehabilitation and Health Center, Millsboro (17)
  • Brackenville Center, Genesis Healthcare, Hockessin (18)
  • Brandywine Nursing and Rehabilitation Center, Wilmington (34)
  • Brandywine Living at Seaside Pointe, Rehoboth Beach (2)
  • Cadia Healthcare Broadmeadow, Middletown (11)
  • Cadia Healthcare Capitol, Dover (17)
  • Cadia Healthcare Renaissance, Millsboro (9)
  • Cadia Healthcare North Wilmington/Silverside, Wilmington (22)
  • Country Rest Home, Greenwood (10)
  • Delaware Hospital for the Chronically Ill, Smyrna (11)
  • Governor Bacon Health Center, Delaware City (1)
  • HarborChase of Wilmington, Wilmington (4)
  • Harbor Healthcare and Rehabilitation, Lewes (23)
  • Harrison House Senior Living, Georgetown (43)
  • Hillside Center, Wilmington (3)
  • Kentmere Rehabilitation and Healthcare Center, Wilmington (8)
  • Kutz Senior Living, Wilmington (2)
  • Little Sisters of the Poor, Newark (11)
  • Lofland Park Center, Genesis Healthcare, Seaford (6)
  • ManorCare Health Services, Wilmington (13)
  • ManorCare Health Services, Pike Creek (23)
  • Methodist Country House, Wilmington (4)
  • Millcroft, Newark (2)
  • Milford Center, Genesis Healthcare, Milford (38)
  • New Castle Health and Rehabilitation Center, New Castle (12)
  • Newark Manor Nursing Home, Newark (11)
  • Parkview Nursing and Rehabilitation, Wilmington (26)
  • Pinnacle Rehabilitation and Health Center, Smyrna (24)
  • Regal Heights Healthcare and Rehabilitation Center, Hockessin (6)
  • Regency Healthcare and Rehabilitation Center, Wilmington (3)
  • Summit Assisted Living, Hockessin (3)
  • Sunrise Assisted Living, Wilmington (2)
  • The Moorings at Lewes, Lewes (4)
  • Westminster Village, Dover (8)
  • Five other New Castle County long-term care facilities (1 death at each facility)

Additional demographic data on COVID-19 cases and deaths, including race/ethnicity, more age-specific data and rates information by ZIP code, and information on Delaware’s contact tracing efforts can be found on the Division of Public Health’s My Healthy Community data portal at de.gov/healthycommunity.

All Walgreens Pharmacy testing sites have moved to a reservation-based system. To reserve an appointment, visit www.picktime.com/DECOVID19test. Testing sites will remain accessible through the pharmacy drive-thru except the Lancaster Pike location in Wilmington, which remains an indoor site. All sites operate by appointment only, and close for 30 minutes daily to allow a lunch break for staff.

The full list of testing locations, hours, and registration options are available on Delaware’s COVID-19 website at de.gov/gettested.