By Matt Bittle

DOVER — Delaware’s vaccination program continues to progress nicely, with one key vaccination rate now at 69.4%, just shy of the initial goal of 70%.

According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, almost seven out of 10 Delawareans age 18 and older have received at least one dose of the vaccine. This figure includes Delawareans vaccinated out of state and at sites such as Veterans Affairs offices and Dover Air Force Base who do not report their numbers to the Delaware Division of Public Health.

Kent County continues to lag behind the other two counties in vaccination rate. As of Saturday, 79,051 people had received at least one shot, while 67,717 people had been fully vaccinated. That’s equivalent to 43.7% and 37.5% of the county’s population.

In New Castle County, 325,805 (58.3%) residents have gotten a shot, with 271,117 (48.5%) getting fully vaccinated. Sussex County, meanwhile, has seen 136,128 (58.1%) of its residents receive at least one shot, including 116,454 (49.7%) finished with the dosage program.

Rates are higher among just adults.

The areas with the lowest percentages of residents getting vaccinated include southwestern Sussex and pockets of Dover and Wilmington, per the Delaware Division of Public Health.

DPH data indicated that as of Saturday there have been 109,657 total positive cases here since March 11, 2020. A total of 1,694 deaths have resulted from COVID-19.

Just 21 people were hospitalized at the time, with five critically ill.

Of the 1,694 deaths, 846 involved residents of New Castle, 349 involved residents of Kent and 499 involved residents of Sussex. Seven hundred fifty-nine of the deceased individuals (44.8%) were in nursing homes or similar assisted living facilities.

Eighty-three percent of deaths come from those 65 and older, even though that age group makes up only 13% of cases here. Fifty-three percent of cases have involved females, while deaths are even split between the sexes.

White residents of the state make up 71% of deaths and 53% of cases, compared to 23% for Black Delawareans and 25%, respectively.

There have been 842 cases and seven deaths over the past four weeks.