Delaware will offer 30 pop-up testing sites the week of Feb. 22.
New cases of COVID-19 and hospitalizations continue to decline from the peak of the holiday surge.
The state still wants people to be tested to help spot and quell outbreaks.
As of midnight Thursday, 84,181 Delaware residents have had the coronavirus since March 11, 2020. Also as of Thursday, the seven-day average of new cases dropped to 280.3 per day over a seven day average. The state would like that to be under 100.
The percentage of total tests that were positive was 4.8%, a drop from 6% last week and under the 5% target that Gov. John Carney has been saying for weeks that state officials wanted to hit.
On Friday, 173 individuals were hospitalized due to COVID-19, down 74 from last week and 400 below the peak. Twenty are critically ill.
A total of 1,343 Delawareans have passed away because of COVID-19, with 74 additional deaths added since last week’s update.
The Division of Public Health has identified seven confirmed cases of the British variant of COVID in Delaware, including four in one family.
Virus mutation is not unusual, but because new strains are believed to spread more easily and quickly, the state wants people to be tested and to continue to follow COVID-19 precautions such as wearing a mask, observing social distance guidelines and avoiding crowds.
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Vaccinations
As of Friday, 169,677 doses of the COVID-19 vaccine have been given, the Division of Public Health said in press release. Another 27,000 doses have been delivered as part of the federal pharmacy programs. Find more vaccination stats at de.gov/healthycommunity.
The state is trying to balance giving the vaccine to as many people as possible with making sure people get their second doses.
Dr. Karyl Rattay, director of the Division of Public Health, announced Tuesday that the state is telling any group that gives a first vaccine that it has an obligation to provide a second dose, and then use any extra vaccine for first doses.
As the state has been saying for a few weeks, that will make it harder to give people first doses as quickly as it has been.
“If you received your first dose at Walgreens, Giant, Camden Pharmacy or ChristianaCare, you may have received notice recently that your second dose appointment was canceled or postponed,” a Friday press release said.
That’s because of limited supplies and bad winter weather, the release said.
DPH is supplying each location with second doses for every person who received a first dose at those locations, the release said, and they have begun rescheduling, based on the supplies they are getting.
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Testing sites
DEMA has coordinated community sites this week in addition to sites at Walgreens and at various hospitals and health care locations. The agency urges people to check the Delaware Department of Health and Social Services’ social media accounts (Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram) for testing location updates due to inclement weather.
New Castle County
Tuesday, Feb. 23 from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.: Frawley Stadium (801 Shipyard Drive, Wilmington) Register: delaware.curativeinc.com
Tuesday, Feb. 23 from 10 a.m. – 4 p.m. Hockessin United Methodist Church (7250 Lancaster Pike, Hockessin) Register: delaware.curativeinc.com
Wednesday, Feb. 24 from 10 a.m. – 3 p.m.: Middletown High School (120 Silver Lake Road, Middletown) Register: delaware.curativeinc.com
Wednesday, Feb. 24 from 9 a.m. – 12 p.m. and 5 p.m. – 7 p.m.: Henrietta Johnson Medical Center (601 New Castle Ave., Wilmington) Register by calling 302-655-6187
Wednesday, Feb. 24 from noon. – 4 p.m.: The Bancroft School (700 N. Lombard St., Wilmington) Register: Bancroft School Mako Location (*Print the page with the bar code and bring with you to the testing site)
