As the number of vaccinated Delawareans rises, the number of COVID-19 cases, hospitalizations and deaths has begun falling again, even as the percentage of new cases caused by variants stays high.
The state’s situation has changed so much that public health officials announced this week that they will stop adding to Delaware’s vaccine appointment waiting list.
As of Friday, a total of 793,148 doses of vaccine have been administered in Delaware. More than 423,00 Delaware residents ages 16 and older , or 54.5% of eligible people have received at least one dose. More than 322,000, or 41.5% have been fully vaccinated.
The state said the vaccines are available at so many locations that its own registry and appointment system had outlived its usefulness. It also revamped its site to include appointment and walk-in information for pharmacies, medical providers, hospitals, Federally Qualified Health Centers, public health clinics and Curative clinics. Individuals also may call 1-833-643-1715 (option 3) for for help finding a vaccine.
The Division of Public Health said Friday that the seven-day average of new cases had declined to an average of 197 cases. The seven-day average for those who testing positive was 18.1%, down from 21.1%, and the seven-day average of positive tests was 4.1 %, down from 5.1% last week.
The state said 115 people are hospitalized, down 51 from last week, with 12 in critical condition.
Stats show that 105,775 Delawareans have tested positive for COVID-19 and 1,629 have died from it.
Betsy Price is a Wilmington freelance writer who has 40 years of experience, including 15 at The News Journal in Delaware.
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