By Matt Bittle

DOVER — Delaware’s COVID-related hospitalization total fell below 400 for the first time since Dec. 14 in the latest update.

According to data from the Division of Public Health, 388 people were hospitalized due to coronavirus as of 6 p.m. Saturday. Fifty-two of the 388 were critically ill. Delaware is averaging about 51 new hospitalizations per day over the past week.

In total, there have now been 74,575 cases and 1,041 deaths. There were 70,252 cases and 1,032 deaths one week ago and 55,025 cases and 953 fatalities four weeks ago.

Delaware had vaccinated 67,475 people as of the latest update, with 28,850 doses remaining.

Scheduled vaccine clinics in Georgetown and Delaware City drew extremely heavy turnouts Saturday, seriously impacting traffic around the Division of Motor Vehicles offices in both municipalities.

Vaccination events are set to continue for the first cohort in the state’s second group of eligible residents. This group includes all individuals at least 65 years old, plus frontline essential workers including firefighters, police, correctional officers, teachers and education staff (including child-care providers), postal workers, grocery store employees and those in the fields of food manufacturing, agriculture and transportation. Roughly 200,000 people fall into this category.

More vaccination events will be announced in the near future.

New Castle County has seen 42,499 cases and 522 deaths, while there have been 12,157 cases and 191 fatalities in Kent County and 19,745 and 328, respectively, in Sussex County.

As of the latest update, DPH reported 6.5% of tests were positive, while the seven-day average, a key metric used by state officials, was 8.5%.

Just 3% of deaths have involved individuals younger than 50, including only two under age 18. Those who are 65 and older make up 84% of deaths but 14% of cases.

Residents of long-term care centers account for 53% of deaths.

Forty-seven percent of cases and 68% of deaths involve White residents of the state, while 23% of cases and deaths involve Black Delawareans. Hispanic and Latino Delawareans make up 17% of cases but only 6% of deaths. Delawareans of other races account for 13% of cases and 2% of deaths.

Females account for 53% of cases and 51% of fatalities here.

In total, 570,717 Delawareans, or more than half the state’s population, have been tested. About 1.18 million individual tests have been taken here.