Delaware’s COVID-19 community levels raised to “high”, indoor masking recommended

DOVER, Del. – The CDC has raised Delaware’s COVID-19 community levels to the High category (red) on Thursday in all three counties.

The Delaware Division of Public Health is now encouraging masks in indoor public settings, regardless of vaccination status.

We’re told over the past week, Delaware’s COVID-19 hospitalizations rose 22% from 129 to 165 hospitalizations, with 12 patients in critical condition as of Friday. DPH says that one concern is the increase in the number of youth who have required hospital admission, including at least 16 children under age 5. Additionally, the 7-day average of cases steadily increased with a 20% positivity rate in lab-confirmed tests and 523 new positive cases on Friday. At-home test results are not reported to DPH, which means the incident of illness in the community is likely much higher.

The CDC says it is believed that the emergence of the dominant BA.5 variant in the country has fueled the rapid rise in cases since June, and suggests that it spreads more easily than previous lineages of the virus.

Officials say that during the week of July 18th to 24th, 66% of Delaware’s total COVID-19 cases and 75% of hospitalized individuals had not received booster doses.