The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention raises Delaware’s COVID community levels to high.
The CDC raised the levels to the high category - or red - in all three counties, and that’s prompting the Division of Public Health to ask residents to follow the CDC’s key strategies at this level of community spread.
That includes wearing a well-fitting mask in indoor public settings, no matter your vaccination status.
You should stay home if you’re sick and get tested if you have symptoms or were exposed to someone with COVID-19. Get vaccinated and boosted.
If you have either household or social contact with someone at high risk for severe disease, self-test before being around them and wear a mask when indoors with them.
One of the primary indicators in determining community levels is the number of COVID hospitalizations, and Delaware saw a 22% increase over the past week.
There are 165 hospitalizations as of Friday, with 12 in critical condition. DPH is especially concerned about the number of young people hospitalized- which includes at least 16 under the age of 5.
The seven-day average of cases increased to a 20% positivity rate in lab-confirmed tests with 523 new positive cases as of Friday.