Hopeful: State health officials Thursday reported a decline in daily positive cases and hospitalizations, but are the vaccinations the cause for the decline?
DOVER (DE): BY DIGITAL STAFF: As thousands of Delawareans continue to get vaccinated against the Coronavirus (COVID-19) at vaccination events, pharmacies, and healthcare providers, state health officials are seeing hope on the horizon.
State health officials Thursday reported a decline in daily positive cases and hospitalizations, but are the vaccinations the cause for the decline in daily positive infection rates?
At Governor’s John Carney’s weekly COVID-19 press briefing Tuesday, Dr. Karyl Rattay says that the vaccinations may be having an impact on the decrease of daily positive rates but stopped short by saying “You know, we did start to see all across the nation – began to see decreases the late January, February time frame, so we know there are some natural progression of the rate of infection and these cycles go through a peak and often come down from the peak, so it’s hard to say how much you attribute to vaccine at this point.”
“We know from our last data that we started seeing a lot less gatherings of people, a lot less parties, a lot less people together in closed settings in the January time frame as well. There are a number of factors that led to the decreases we are seeing. As more and more people are getting vaccinated, that we are going to see less spread of the infection.,” Rattay added.
According to the Division of Health’s database, Delaware has received a total of 278,390 doses of the vaccine both Moderna and Pfizer. 52,115 of the doses have been delivered to Pharmacies as as part of the federal pharmacy programs. A report from the Delaware Division of Health last Thursday showed that 253,535 administered doses of the COVID-19 vaccine have been reported to the state’s immunization information system, DelVAX as of March 5, 2021.
The seven-day average of new positive cases decreased to 256.7 as of Thursday, March 4.
A total of 87,874 positive cases of COVID-19 among Delaware residents have been reported to the Delaware Division of Public Health (DPH) since March 11, 2020.
The seven-day average for the percentage of persons who tested positive for COVID-19 as of Thursday, March 4, was 19.2%, a decrease from 20.9% as of Thursday, Feb. 25.
As of Tuesday, March 2, the seven-day average for the percentage of total tests that were positive was 4.6%, a decrease from 5.1% as of Tuesday, Feb. 23.
Hospitalizations continue to decrease with Fifteen of the hospitalized persons being critically ill, down 11 from last week.
As the daily infection rates continue to decrease so do hospitalizations there are currently 127 Delawareans hospitalized due to COVID-19. The data shows that the figure is a decrease of 29 as of this time last week. Fifteen of the hospitalized persons are critically ill, down 11 from last week.
A total of 1,453 Delawareans have passed away due to complications from COVID-19.
The state reported 35 additional deaths since last week’s update. The total number of individuals who have died from COVID-19 ranges in age from younger than 5 to 104 years old. Of those who have died, 718 were female and 735 were male. A total of 715 individuals were from New Castle County, 302 were from Kent County, and 436 were from Sussex County.
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If you are sick with any of the following symptoms, stay home: fever, cough, shortness of breath, sore throat, muscle aches, fatigue, chills, shaking with chills, loss of smell or taste, nausea or vomiting, diarrhea, or headache or congestion or runny nose without a known cause such as allergies. Other symptoms such as abdominal pain or lack of appetite have been identified as potential symptoms related to COVID-19 and may prompt further screening, action or investigation by a primary care provider. If you are sick and need essential supplies, ask someone else to go to the grocery store or the pharmacy to get what you need.
DPH reminds Delawareans that if you believe you have been exposed to someone with COVID-19, or have symptoms of illness, make sure to distance yourself from others, particularly vulnerable populations. Older adults and people of any age with serious underlying medical conditions – including serious heart conditions, chronic lung conditions, including moderate to severe asthma, severe obesity and those who are immunocompromised, including through cancer treatment – may have a higher risk for severe illness from COVID-19. [/su_tab]
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Information about testing events, including community testing sites, permanent fixed testing sites, and free-standing sites operated by the health care systems and hospitals, will be listed on the testing section of the Delaware coronavirus website at de.gov/gettested.
Delawareans 18 or older are encouraged to download COVID Alert DE, Delaware’s free exposure notification app to help protect your neighbors while ensuring your privacy. Download on the App Store or Google Play. [/su_tab]
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Individuals with general questions about COVID-19 should call Delaware 2-1-1, individuals who are deaf or hard of hearing can text their ZIP code to 898-211, or email delaware211@uwde.org. Hours of operation are 8:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. Monday through Friday; 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. Medically related questions regarding testing, symptoms, and health-related guidance can be submitted by email at DPHCall@delaware.gov.
Individuals who have complaints about individuals violating public gathering restrictions should contact state or local law enforcement. Concerns that a business may be violating operating restrictions should be directed to: HSPContact@delaware.gov. Questions related to business re-openings or operations as businesses re-open should go to COVID19FAQ@delaware.gov. Questions regarding unemployment claims should be emailed to: UIClaims@delaware.gov.
As a reminder, DPH recently announced it has created a pathway for the public to submit complaints if they believe a COVID-19 vaccination provider is violating vaccination requirements. Those complaints can be directed to HSPContact@delaware.gov. [/su_tab]
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DPH will continue to update the public as more information becomes available. For the latest on Delaware’s response, go to de.gov/coronavirus. [/su_tab] [/su_tabs]
