Delaware will close its COVID-19 call centers Tuesday, Jan. 31.

Public Health to close COVID-19 call centers Tuesday

Betsy PriceHeadlines, Health

In another sign that COVID-19 is becoming a part of ordinary life, the Delaware Division of Public Health will close its COVID-19 call center and vaccine call center Tuesday because the number of calls has dwindled. It’s one more indication that the state and the federal government are starting to consider how to handle the ebbing of the pandemic as …

flu virus

Delaware flu cases plateau, but will holidays trigger rise?

Betsy PriceHeadlines, Health

The week after the state announced the first flu death of the season, the number of confirmed flu cases dropped for two weeks in a row, leading to hopes that infections may have plateaued. The drop to 1,014 cases for the week ending Dec. 17, follows a small decline from 1,125 cases the previous week and 1,154 cases the week …

Delaware tripledemic

Delaware may face ‘tripledemic’ of COVID, flu, RSV cases

Betsy PriceHeadlines, Health

  If you are sick, stay home. That’s the big message behind the state’s announcement Friday that Delaware could face a “tripledemic” of three serious respiratory viruses: COVID-19, the flu and respiratory syncytial virus, also known as RSV. All three are putting patients of all ages into hospitals, which were already strained by infected patients and those who need medical …

Delaware tripledemic

State confirms first flu case for 2022-23 season

Betsy PriceHeadlines, Health

  Note: A previous version of this story said a child also had the flu, but the Division of Public Health announced Wednesday afternoon that was a mistake.  A Kent County woman diagnosed with flu has launched Delaware into the 2022-23 flu season, setting off the annual call for people to be vaccinated. The 32-year-old Kent County woman diagnosed with …

Narcan kits Delaware

State Narcan kits add strips so users can test for fentanyl

Betsy PriceHeadlines, Health

The state is starting to include fentanyl test strips in the Narcan kits it gives away, enabling a person who plans to use an illegal drug to test it to know whether it contains the deadly synthetic opioid. The move is part of a harm-reduction strategy to prevent accidental overdoses, said Timothy Turane, a public information officer for the Delaware …

Monkeypox

2 new cases of monkeypox found in Delaware

Staff WriterHeadlines, Health

    A 46-year-old Sussex County man and a 25-year-old Kent County man have become the second and third person in Delaware to be diagnosed with monkeypox. Even so, the state Division of Public Health said the risk to the public remains low. It has, however, started a hotline for people who think they may have been exposed or have …

Monkeypox

New Castle man tests positive for monkeypox

Staff WriterHeadlines, Health

A 41-year-old New Castle County man tested positive for the monkeypox virus this week. It’s the state’s first case of the communicable virus, which has already been found in states around the country. The man did not report any travel or exposure to someone known to have the virus, called MPX for short, but is believed to have been exposed …