New daily cases, hospitalizations remain elevated; deaths continue to increase

DOVER – The Delaware Division of Public Health (DPH) is providing an update on the most recent statistics related to coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) in Delaware, as of 6 p.m. Thursday, October 29, 2020.

A total of 24,751 positive cases of COVID-19 among Delaware residents have been reported to DPH since March 11, 2020, including 13,074 individuals who are considered recovered. The number of new daily cases each day this week has remained elevated with the seven-day average of 150, as of Thursday, Oct. 29.

The seven-day average for the percentage of persons who tested positive for COVID-19 increased from 6.9% as of Oct. 22, to 7.7% as of Thursday, Oct. 29. DPH recently began publishing both positivity rates – persons tested and total tests conducted – on its COVID-19 data portal. As of Tuesday, Oct. 27, the seven-day average for the percentage of total tests that were positive was 3.3%, up from 3.1% as of Oct. 20. There is a two-day lag for presenting data related to percent of tests that are positive to account for the time delay between the date of the test and the date that DPH receives the test result.

In addition, 101 individuals are currently hospitalized due to COVID-19 in Delaware, a decrease of five from the total as of last Friday’s update. Twenty-two of the hospitalized persons are critically ill, down three from last week.

A total of 704 Delawareans have passed away due to complications from COVID-19. The state reported 26 additional deaths since last week’s update, including nine as a result of a review of Vital Statistics records. The total number of individuals who have died from COVID-19 ranges in age from 21 to 104 years old. Of those who have died, 362 were female and 342 were male. A total of 351 individuals were from New Castle County, 120 were from Kent County, and 233 were from Sussex County.

To protect personal health information, DPH will not confirm specific information about any individual case, even if other persons or entities disclose it independently.

Additional Updates 

Update on COVID-19 Outbreaks in Long-term Care Facilities: The Division of Public Health continues to investigate COVID-19 outbreaks in long-term care facilities throughout the state. Facilities where significant ongoing outbreaks are occurring, as of Oct. 30, 2020:

• Kentmere Rehabilitation and Health Care Center in Wilmington; 54 residents and 42 staff members
• Cadia Healthcare Silverside in Wilmington; 59 residents and 34 staff members
• Country Rest Home in Greenwood; 31 residents and 20 staff members
• Regency Healthcare and Rehabilitation Center in Wilmington; 63 residents and 23 staff
• Newly added: Lofland Park in Seaford, 19 residents and 10 staff

*Staff members may include health care and non-health care personnel, such as facility vendors or other individuals working in the long-term care facility who may not be full-time facility employees.

Delaware COVID-19 Data:

The latest Delaware COVID-19 case statistics* cumulatively since March 11, provided as of 6 p.m. Thursday, October 29, include:

• 24,751 total positive cases
• New Castle County cases: 13,079
• Kent County cases: 3,545
• Sussex County cases: 8,036
• Unknown County: 91
• Females: 13,349; Males: 11,363; Unknown Sex: 39
• Age range: 0 to 104
• Currently hospitalized: 101; Critically ill: 22 (This data represents individuals currently hospitalized in a Delaware hospital regardless of residence, and is not cumulative.)
• Delawareans recovered: 13,074
• 323,776 negative cases**

*Data are provisional and subject to change.

**Data on negative cases are preliminary, based on negative results reported to DPH by state and commercial laboratories performing analysis.

Generally, Delaware is now considering patients recovered after at least 24 hours have passed since the resolution of fever without the use of fever-reducing medications and/or improvement in symptoms, and at least 10 days have passed since symptoms first appeared. Individuals who tested positive who have not had any symptoms are considered recovered after at least 10 days have passed since the date of their first positive COVID-19 test with no subsequent illness.

Aggregate K-12 School-Related COVID-19 Statistics:

The Division of Public Health is providing statewide aggregate data on the total number of COVID-19 positive cases among students and staff who were in-person at a school or child care facility while potentially infectious, reported to DPH since Sept. 1, 2020. To determine the start of the infectious period, or when others may have been exposed to someone infectious, DPH looks 48 hours prior to the onset of symptoms or 48 hours prior to testing for those individuals who had no symptoms. These data only indicate potential exposure to COVID-19 in these settings, not whether exposure actually occurred.

Cumulative number of COVID-19 positive students and staff, statewide, who were in-person at a school or child care facility while potentially infectious, reported to DPH between Sept. 1, 2020, and Oct. 30, 2020:

• Child care – 28 students and 36 staff
• Private K-12 – 60 students and 33 staff
• Public K-12 – 40 students and 88 staff

Long-term Care Statistics:

Information related to positive cases and deaths among residents at long-term care facilities will be updated weekly each Friday, using information reported as of 6 p.m. Thursday. There have been a total of 1,505 positive COVID-19 cases cumulatively involving long-term care residents, and 409 residents of Delaware long-term care facilities have died from complications related to COVID-19.

The locations and number of deaths involving residents of long-term care facilities are:

• Atlantic Shores Rehabilitation and Health Center, Millsboro (17)
• Brackenville Center, Genesis Healthcare, Hockessin (18)
• Brandywine Nursing and Rehabilitation Center, Wilmington (34)
• Brandywine Living at Seaside Pointe, Rehoboth Beach (2)
• Cadia Healthcare Broadmeadow, Middletown (11)
• Cadia Healthcare Capitol, Dover (14)
• Cadia Healthcare Renaissance, Millsboro (9)
• Cadia Healthcare North Wilmington/Silverside, Wilmington (16)
• Country Rest Home, Greenwood (9)
• Delaware Hospital for the Chronically Ill, Smyrna (11)
• Governor Bacon Health Center, Delaware City (1)
• HarborChase of Wilmington, Wilmington (4)
• Harbor Healthcare and Rehabilitation, Lewes (21)
• Harrison House Senior Living, Georgetown (41)
• Hillside Center, Wilmington (3)
• Kentmere Rehabilitation and Healthcare Center, Wilmington (7)
• Kutz Senior Living, Wilmington (2)
• Little Sisters of the Poor, Newark (11)
• Lofland Park Center, Genesis Healthcare, Seaford (3)
• ManorCare Health Services, Wilmington (13)
• ManorCare Health Services, Pike Creek (21)
• Methodist Country House, Wilmington (4)
• Millcroft, Newark (2)
• Milford Center, Genesis Healthcare, Milford (37)
• New Castle Health and Rehabilitation Center, New Castle (12)
• Newark Manor Nursing Home, Newark (11)
• Parkview Nursing and Rehabilitation, Wilmington (26)
• Pinnacle Rehabilitation and Health Center, Smyrna (24)
• Regal Heights Healthcare and Rehabilitation Center, Hockessin (6)
• Summit Assisted Living, Hockessin (3)
• Sunrise Assisted Living, Wilmington (2)
• The Moorings at Lewes, Lewes (2)
• Westminster Village, Dover (7)
• Five other New Castle County long-term care facilities (1 death at each facility)

Additional demographic data on COVID-19 cases and deaths, including race/ethnicity, more age-specific data and rates information by ZIP code, and information on Delaware’s contact tracing efforts can be found on the Division of Public Health’s My Healthy Community data portal at de.gov/healthycommunity.