By Tim Mastro

DELAWARE CITY — The mass COVID-19 testing site at the Delaware City Division of Motor Vehicles is now accepting drive-ins, as the state continues its decline from the peak of a winter surge of the virus.

Appointments are still encouraged for the Federal Emergency Management Agency location, which has also adjusted its hours. It is now open from 5:30-9:30 p.m. Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturdays and 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Sundays. It is closed Wednesdays.

The site is open for all ages through Feb. 7. It utilizes a PCR shallow nasal swab to test.
Individuals can register in advance here. Each person testing must create an account. After completing the initial questionnaire, users can then schedule an appointment.

A confirmation will be provided and should be brought to the testing site.

Other testing facilities throughout the state can be found at de.gov/gettested or curative.com.

Delaware posted its lowest number of COVID-19 hospitalizations since Jan. 1 in Monday’s report by the Division of Public Health. The rate of individuals hospitalized with the virus is down to 534, more than 200 fewer than the record of 759 set Jan. 12. The state is still above last winter’s peak of 474 hospitalizations.

Of those hospitalized, DPH said 59 cases are considered critical.

Delaware is averaging 1,672.1 new cases per day over the last seven days. It was averaging as many as 3,378.3 per day Jan. 12.

DPH reported 1,174 new cases in Monday’s update, bring the state’s total to 241,367. It was the second-lowest number of daily new cases of 2022, behind only 1,161 Jan. 17.

No new deaths were announced, as that total remained at 2,480.

All statistics via DPH reflect data as of Sunday at 6 p.m.