Hospitalizations skyrocket to 692 as COVID-19 surge continues

Betsy PriceHeadlines, Health

  Delaware continues to set COVID-19 records, this week in hospitalizations with 692 people admitted. The state has been routinely beating the daily hospitalizations record since late December when numbers started rising above the Jan. 12, 2021, record of 474. On Dec. 31, the state hit a record number of 3,554 positive cases per day. The surge of cases is …

State hit 3,381 new COVID-19 cases on Wednesday

Betsy PriceHeadlines, Health

  Delaware saw 3,381 new positive cases Wednesday after all the reports were in, the Delaware Division of Public Health said Friday. That broke the record for a daily total, which already had broken the most-new-cases record when only part of the testing was in and the state said it was 1,991. On Friday, Delaware said there were 2,162 new …

UD will start winter classes virtually; Wilm U closes campus

Betsy PriceEducation, Headlines

  The University of Delaware said students may return to campus Jan. 2, but winter classes will start virtually as the school tries to stem the tide of Omicron variant COVID-19 cases. At the same time, Wilmington University said it will react to a new Delaware State of Emergency by closing its campus starting Monday, Jan. 3. Faculty, staff and …

Delaware COVID-19 cases, hospitalizations jump; still no Omicron

Betsy PriceHeadlines, Health

  The number of new daily COVID-19 cases in Delaware has risen to 603.9, up dramatically from 432.9 last week. That’s fueling a rise in hospitalizations, which hit 317, up 51 from last week. In turn, that’s one of the reasons that ChristianaCare announced this week it would begin postponing elective surgeries. The hospital also cited non-COVID-related hospitalizations. That includes …

COVID update: Still no Omicron; no indoor mask mandate planned

Betsy PriceHeadlines, Health

  It’s just a matter of time before the Omicron variant of COVID-19 shows up in Delaware, state officials say. The virus strain has been found in surrounding states, but has not yet been detected in Delaware, said Dr. Karyl Rattay, director of the Division of Public Health. And they’ve looked. The state lab routinely pulls random samples of positive …

COVID cases, hospitalizations rise; no Omicron yet detected

Betsy PriceHeadlines, Health

    Fears of a COVID-19 winter surge in Delaware seem to be validated by quickly escalating numbers of new cases, hospitalizations and deaths in recent weeks. Vaccinations, while rising, are not keeping pace with the number of cases, hospitalizations and death, which are largely among partially or unvaccinated. The good news: The state has not yet found any cases …

Carney extends school mask mandate through Feb. 8

Charlie MegginsonEducation, Headlines

State mask regulations will remain in place at Delaware schools through Feb. 8.   Faculty, staff, students and visitors in Delaware’s K-12 public and private schools will be required to wear masks inside school buildings until at least Feb. 8, 2022.  Gov. John Carney announced Wednesday that he will extend the emergency mandate in order to keep children protected against …

Number of COVID-19 cases continue to fall in Delaware

Betsy PriceHeadlines, Health

    The average daily number of new cases of COVID-19 in Delaware dropped by 50 in the last week, continuing a general decline in related numbers, according to the Delaware Division of Public Health. The number of those fully vaccinated, now at 528,767, continues to creep up. As of Thursday, Delaware has had 141,717 cases of the virus. The …

Most COVID-19 numbers continue to fall

Betsy PriceHeadlines, Health

  The number of new COVID-19 cases in Delaware dropped by more than 10% in the last week. Even so, 24 new deaths were recorded, including seven from a review of vital statistic records, according to the Delaware Division of Public Health. Delaware has seen 139,380 COVID-19 cases as of Thursday night. New cases were down to 391.6 cases from …

State to replace Smyrna Hospital for Critically Ill

Charlie MegginsonGovernment, Headlines

Delaware Hospital of the Chronically Ill, from Google Maps Street View   Delaware will spend $50 million to replace the Delaware Hospital for the Chronically Ill in Smyrna with a state-of-the-art 72,000 square foot facility. The project, which will be funded through federal COVID relief funds, will create 250 to 300 construction jobs. The hospital’s main building originally opened in …