State officials announced the first pediatric death in Delaware connected to COVID-19 Friday.
The victim is a New Castle County child under the age of 5 who had a significant number of comorbidities.
In a statement, state Public Health Director Dr. Karyl Rattay said “While each life lost as a result of this virus is tragic, the loss of a child is felt across our entire community.”
31 people died statewide from the virus this week, bringing Delaware’s COVID-19 death toll to 957.
The state reports 582 new cases of the virus Thursday. That comes after a record 1,202 on Wednesday. The state’s seven-day rolling average is now at more than 778 cases per day.
There are 451 hospitalizations statewide. 59 are considered critical.
And 25 long-term care facilities in Delaware are currently experiencing “significant outbreaks,” according to health officials.
The average number of positive tests has ticked up to 10.4 percent.
And Delaware has now passed 63,000 confirmed cases of COVID-19 since the pandemic began.
