Percent positive of COVID-19 cases drops, while number of critically ill increases

The number of critically ill COVID-19 patients in Delaware rose by five over the past week as hospitalizations remain flat and the percent of positive cases dropped.

The Delaware Division of Public Health said Oct. 16 that the seven-day average for the percentage of persons who tested positive for COVID-19 decreased from 6.6 percent as of Oct. 8 to 5.5 percent Oct. 15. The seven-day average for the percentage of total tests that were positive was 2.6 percent, down from 2.8 percent from Oct. 6. 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.

In addition, officials said, 104 individuals are currently hospitalized due to COVID-19 in Delaware. While the total number of current hospitalizations is the same compared to the total as of last Friday’s update, current hospitalization totals increased to 116 earlier this week before declining again at the end of the week. Twenty-six of the hospitalized persons are critically ill, up five from last week.

In all, 22,724 positive cases of COVID-19 among Delaware residents have been reported to DPH since March 11, 2020, including 11,818 individuals who are considered recovered. The number of new daily cases each day this week has remained elevated, with the seven-day average of 127.7 as of Thursday, Oct. 15.

Overall, 662 Delawareans have passed away due to complications from COVID-19. The state reported 11 additional deaths since last week's update. Those who have died from COVID-19 range from 21 to 104 years old. Of those, 347 were female and 315 were male; 330 individuals were from New Castle County; 119 were from Kent County, and 213 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.

Update on COVID-19 outbreaks in long-term care facilities 

The Division of Public Health continues to investigate COVID-19 outbreaks in long-term care facilities throughout the state. Facilities where significant ongoing outbreaks are occurring, as of Oct. 15 are: Kentmere Rehabilitation and Health Care Center in Wilmington: 54 residents and 39 staff members; Cadia Healthcare Silverside in Wilmington: 44 residents and 31 staff members; and Country Rest Home in Greenwood: 30 residents and 17 staff members.  

Staff members may include healthcare and non-healthcare personnel, such as facility vendors or other individuals working in the long-term care facility who may not be full-time facility employees.

Delaware COVID-19 data

The latest Delaware COVID-19 case statistics cumulatively since March 11, provided as of 6 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 15, include:

• 22,724 total positive cases
• New Castle County cases: 11,958
• Kent County cases: 3,285
• Sussex County cases: 7,390
• Unknown county: 91
• Females: 12,234; Males: 10,452; Unknown sex: 38
• Age range: 0 to 104
• Currently hospitalized: 104; Critically ill: 26 (This data represents individuals currently hospitalized in a Delaware hospital regardless of residence, and is not cumulative.)
• Delawareans recovered: 11,818
• 298,418 negative cases

A data quality enhancement was put in place this week to determine the county of residence for cases in which the county was previously unknown. As a result, county totals have increased as part of this update, and the unknown county total has decreased. Statewide statistics have not been affected by this data improvement.

Generally, Delaware is now considering 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.

Cumulative 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 Oct. 15: Child care – 22 students and 19 staff; Private K-12 – 43 students and 17 staff; Public K-12 – 17 students and 62 staff.

Long-term care statistics:

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 has been a total of 1,387 positive COVID-19 cases cumulatively involving long-term care residents, and 388 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 (10)
• Cadia Healthcare Capitol, Dover (14)
• Cadia Healthcare Renaissance, Millsboro (9)
• Cadia Healthcare North Wilmington/Silverside, Wilmington (12)
• Country Rest Home, Greenwood (6)
• 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 (20)
• Harrison House Senior Living, Georgetown (41)
• Hillside Center, Wilmington (3)
• Kentmere Rehabilitation and Healthcare Center, Wilmington (5)
• Little Sisters of the Poor, Newark (11)
• ManorCare Health Services, Wilmington (13)
• ManorCare Health Services, Pike Creek (20)
• Methodist Country House, Wilmington (4)
• Millcroft, Newark (2)
• Milford Center, Genesis Healthcare, Milford (36)
• 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 (5)
• Summit Assisted Living, Hockessin (3)
• Sunrise Assisted Living, Wilmington (2)
• Westminster Village, Dover (7)
• 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.

Information about testing events, including community testing sites, permanent fixed testing sites, and free-standing sites operated by the healthcare systems and hospitals, will be listed on the testing section of the Delaware coronavirus website at: coronavirus.delaware.gov/testing/.