WILMINGTON — Delaware’s COVID-19 statistics are well down from the winter peak caused by the omicron variant, but they are still above where the state was a year ago.
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By Tim MastroWILMINGTON — Delaware’s COVID-19 statistics are well down from the winter peak caused by the omicron variant, but they are still above where the state was a year ago.
The number of individuals hospitalized with the virus has decreased to 400 as of Monday at 6 p.m., compared to the record of 759 set Jan. 12. The seven-day rolling average of new positive cases is 881.4 per day — the lowest since Dec. 23, 2021, and much lower than the peak of 3,382.3 cases per day Jan. 12.
“All the indicators show we’re on the other side of the omicron peak now,” director of the Delaware Division of Public Health Dr. Karyl Rattay said at Tuesday’s COVID-19 press briefing. “We’re headed down in a good way, and it seems to be decreasing rapidly.”
Hospitalization numbers, while below last winter’s peak of 474, still have several of Delaware’s hospitals at or over 100% capacity, when taking into account the non-COVID-19-related patients, Gov. John Carney said Tuesday.
The governor also said the state’s indoor mask requirement will remain until these numbers decrease even more. Delaware has been under a state of emergency order, which includes masking indoors, since Jan. 3.
“Stick with us for a little while longer, so we can get to a better place,” he said. “Help our hospitals and help prevent the spread of COVID in our communities.”
At this time in 2021, there were 321 COVID-19 hospitalizations, and the seven-day rolling average for new cases was 477 per day.
Last year, the mask mandate was lifted May 22, while the state of emergency expired July 13.
Dr. Rattay added that Delawareans can protect themselves against hospitalization by getting their booster dose of vaccine, noting that Delaware is 26th out of the 50 states in overall boosters given.
“That’s not where we need to be,” she said. “We know we can do better.”
According to DPH data from the week of Jan. 17-23, 88% of COVID-19 hospitalizations, 258 of 292, had not received their booster dose of a vaccine. Additionally, 86% of new cases that week, 10,021 of 11,661, had not been boosted.
Dr. Rattay presented new studies from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, showing that the Moderna booster increased antibody levels by 37 times to protect against the omicron variant, while the Pfizer booster increased them 25 times. She added that, while being fully vaccinated still protects against severe illness, boosters are more likely to block the infection.
CDC studies also showed that boosters are critical in the 50-64-year-old demographic, Dr. Rattay said. Per a CDC study, unvaccinated individuals in this group are 44 times more likely to be hospitalized than their fully vaccinated peers who had also gotten a booster dose.
Boosters are available at any of the four DPH standing vaccine sites — the Blue Hen Corporate Center in Dover, Georgetown Plaza, Canby Park in Wilmington and University Plaza in Newark. A full list of vaccine sites can be found here.
