Dr. Karryl Rattay will leave her post as director of the Delaware Division of Public Health on June 30. Rattay took the job in 2009 during the swine flu pandemic. She is currently the nation’s longest-serving public health director. “It has been the greatest honor of my lifetime to serve Delawareans in this role,” Rattay said Friday. “I am grateful …
State launches one-stop shop for COVID testing, treatment
The Delaware Division of Public Health on Thursday announced the launch of the COVID-19 test-to-treat program. The program is aimed at providing convenient testing and treatment options in one location. Test-to-treat locations are designed to be a “one-stop shop” for individuals seeking diagnosis and treatment of COVID-19 within five days of showing symptoms. How the program works: If you have …
DPH will text you if you test positive for COVID-19
The Delaware Division of Public Health now plans to text you if you have COVID-19. The DPH Contact Tracing Team has launched a pre-call text messaging initiative to individuals who test positive for COVID-19. It involves sending a text message to COVID-positive individuals and providing initial isolation guidance and recommendations through a secure web platform before they receive a call …
Gov. Carney declares state of emergency over omicron wave
Delaware will be under a state of emergency effective Jan. 3, 2022. (Getty Images/Kameleon007) Gov. John Carney on Thursday declared a state of emergency to address the highly contagious COVID-19 omicron variant. The state of emergency will take effect Jan. 3, 2022 and is not expected to have any immediate impact on businesses. He announced the declaration during a virtual …
No immediate plans to bring back mask mandate, Carney says
Gov. John Carney said booster shots will be essential to lessening the impact of a COVID winter surge. Gov. John Carney has no immediate plans to reinstitute mask or social distancing mandates. Instead, the state will continue to rely on voluntary compliance, he said during a COVID-19 briefing Tuesday. “I think the objective obviously is to get people to wear …
Digital vaccine cards now come with convenient QR code
Photo by Seb_ra/Getty Images. Individuals vaccinated in Delaware will now have access to a QR code when downloading their COVID-19 vaccination record. The digital COVID-19 vaccination card now includes the QR code and is available through the DelVAX Public Portal, a site where those who were vaccinated in Delaware can access their immunization records. When the person accesses their COVID-19 …
Children ages 5-11 now eligible for Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine
Children ages 5 through 11 are now eligible to receive the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 pediatric vaccine in Delaware. Photo courtesy of the Delaware Division of Public Health. Children ages 5 through 11 are now eligible to receive the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 pediatric vaccine in Delaware. The Delaware Division of Public Health announced Wednesday that providers can begin administering the vaccine immediately. The …
Once Ida passes, weather expected to be gorgeous for Labor Day
Photo by Jim Stapleton/Unsplash Delaware weather is expected to be gorgeous over Labor Day weekend, with sunny days and highs hovering around 80 degrees. By Thursday night, the remnants of Hurricane Ida will have swept away, leaving the coast clear for fun. Literally. The Delaware Department of Transportation is suspending construction-related lane closures from Thursday until 12:01 a.m. Tuesday, …
As Delta cases rise, Carney sets COVID-19 press conference Thursday
This Abbott Laboratories at-home COVID-19 test kit is available at Delaware libraries. With COVID-19 cases once again shooting up thanks to the Delta variant, Gov. John Carney has set a COVID-19 briefing Thursday. He and Dr. Karyl Rattay, director of the Division of Public Health, will speak online at 11:30 a.m. See it here. Carney had canceled his weekly …
Public Health: Delta variant is dominant strain of virus in Delaware
The Delta variant of COVID-19 is causing a rising number of cases. The COVID-19 delta variant is now the predominant strain of the coronavirus in Delaware, The Division of Public Health said in a Friday press release. Variants are mutations of the virus, including changes to the spikes on the surface of the virus. Some variants are more transmissible …