By Tim Mastro

WILMINGTON — Delaware’s COVID-19 statistics have improved in the last month and state officials are cautiously optimistic about continuing the downward trend.

The state’s seven-day rolling average for new positive COVID-19 cases is down to 366.4 per day as of Monday at 6 p.m. That number was at 800.3 some 30 days ago.

Dr. Karyl Rattay, director of the Delaware Division of Public Health, said DPH case investigators are seeing fewer clusters of cases tied to indoor gatherings. Dr. Rattay stated cases began to spike around Oct. 31 and peaked just after the winter holidays, many of which were attributed to indoor gatherings in homes.

And as the positive cases are trending down, so is the state’s positivity rate. The latest seven-day rolling average for percentage of positive tests is down to 6.5%. That figure is lower than the 10.1% of a month ago but still above the World Health Organization’s recommended mark of 5%.

“From a mitigation perspective, I think Delawareans are making really good choices,” Dr. Rattay said. “We’d love to breathe a sigh of relief at this point. But we can’t.”

Delaware’s number of COVID-19 hospitalizations are at 254, well off the peak of 474 set on Jan. 12. Of those currently hospitalized, 27 are considered to be critical cases, according to the DPH.

“All the restrictions we’ve put in place like social distancing and reducing indoor dining capacity, all those things are what public health officials tell us need to be done in order to protect individuals from the spread of the virus,” Gov. John Carney said. “Testing is an important part of that, knowing who is positive and who is not. ... I’ve think I’ve seen an increased focus on mask wearing. I’d like to believe that Delawareans have really pulled together to follow the restrictions and guidances we’ve put in place.”

The DPH reported an additional 13 COVID-19-related deaths on Tuesday, bringing the state’s total to 1,221. The 13 deaths ranged in age from 62 to 94 years old.

Five were from New Castle County, four were from Kent County and four were from Sussex County. Four of the 13 were residents of long-term care facilities, increasing the number of COVID-19-related deaths at long-term care facilities to 627 (51%).

The DPH reported 277 new positive cases, bringing the state’s total to 81,210 positive cases of the virus since March 11.