Gov. Carney Revises, Extends Public Health Emergency Order

Delaware’s Public Health Emergency Order was revised and extended for 30 days Thursday by Governor John Carney. State law requires that a public health emergency declaration be extended every 30 days. According to Carney’s office, the action allows the State of Delaware and medical providers to continue COVID-19 vaccination and testing programs and allows staffing…

Read More

DPH Launches Text Alert Messaging To COVID-19 Positive Persons

The Delaware Division of Public Health (DPH) Contact Tracing Team has launched a pre-call SMS/text messaging initiative to individuals who test positive for COVID-19. It involves sending a text message to COVID-positive individuals and providing initial isolation guidance and recommendations through a secure web platform before they receive a call from the Contact Tracing Team.…

Read More

Health Survey Goes Out To Selected Del. Households

Delaware Public Health has begun a series of community assessments to get a better understanding of the concerns and needs of Delawareans during the COVID-19 pandemic, and to improve overall health of Delawareans in the future. DPH and the University of Delaware Partnership for Healthy Communities and Epidemiology Program will conduct the survey. Households have…

Read More

DE Hospitals Implement Crisis Standards of Care in Coronavirus Winter Surge as Omicron Becomes Dominant in First State

Delaware hospitals are stretched to the limit. Hospital capacity is over 700 who are sick with coronavirus – about 40%, as well as people with other illnesses. Hospital officials say that many of those who are sick with coronavirus are only partially or not vaccinated. Several hospitals are operating under Crisis Standards of Care. Chief…

Read More

New COVID-19 Cases Spike In Del. – Weekly Update

Delaware has now detected more than three dozen cases of coronavirus linked to the Omicron variant. Delaware Public Health also reports that new records for daily new cases of COVID-19 were set on consecutive days, with more than 1,500 new cases counted Friday. Nearly 1,300 new cases were reported Sunday. Hospitalizations are now below 400,…

Read More

Del. Introduces Vax QR Code Feature

Delawareans who have been vaccinated for COVID-19 will now have access to a QR code when downloading their record. This allows Delawareans to download a PDF version of the record, which resembles a vaccine card. The image can then be printed, or saved on a phone gallery. The QR code can be shown instead of…

Read More

Rabid Raccoon Found In Georgetown Area

A raccoon in the Georgetown area has tested positive for rabies. Delaware Public Health said Friday that two dogs may also have been exposed to the virus. Residents and people who have spent time in the vicinity of West Robbins Road and South Old State Road are advised to take precautions, minimize contact with wildlife…

Read More

VIDEO | Del. COVID-19 Cases Rise; Latest Trends

Delaware has been seeing a significant uptick in new positive coronavirus cases since the end of the summer. During a coronavirus update Tuesday, Governor John Carney said the uptick really started to increase after Labor Day. According to Delaware Public Health Director Dr. Karyl Rattay, Delaware’s increases are being led by the Delta variant. As…

Read More

Del. Construction Industry Makes Naloxone Available To Workers, Supervisors

John Robinson (left) and Anne Carr of the DPH Office of Health Crisis Response train a group of Bancroft Construction workers Nov. 18, on the use of Narcan, a medication that can reverse the effects of opioids in an overdose situation and can potentially save a life. DPH has partnered with the construction industry to provide substance use disorder resources and training for workers.

A partnership between Delaware Public Health and the construction industry has made the overdose-reversing medication Narcan available to construction workers at a University of Delaware construction site in Newark. It may be just the beginning. Construction supervisors are also getting training about overdose, stigma associated with addition, and training in how to use the medication.…

Read More

Gov. Carney Extends School Mask Mandate

Delaware’s emergency masking requirement in public and private K-12 schools has been extended until February 8th, under action taken Wednesday by Governor John Carney, the Delaware Department of Education and the Delaware Department of Health and Social Services. The current mandate is set to expire December 10th, with the option of a 60-day extension. The…

Read More

Kent Co. Woman Tests Positive For West Nile Virus

An 87-year-old Kent County woman has been diagnosed with West Nile Virus, according to Delaware Public Health. DPH said Tuesday that because the woman had no travel history, that means she contracted West Nile in Delaware. She was the third person to test positive for the mosquito-borne illness in 2021. Although the weather is cooling…

Read More

DPH Confirms Season’s 1st Flu Cases

The flu has arrived in Delaware. Delaware Public Health said Monday that the season’s first two cases of influenza have been laboratory-confirmed. One involves a 26-year-old Sussex County woman with influenza A. A Kent County child under age five required hospitalization for Influenza strain B. Neither of them had received the flu vaccine. “This first…

Read More

Del., Md. Advance COVID-19 Vax Booster Programs

Delaware and Maryland providers of COVID-19 vaccines can start providing booster shots for vaccines made by Moderna and Johnson and Johnson, to certain populations that have been recommended by the Centers for Disease Control. The Pfizer vaccine received booster authorization last month. Delaware Public Health officials issued this guidance Friday: Based on CDC recommendations for…

Read More

Prescription Drug Takeback Day Is Saturday

Old, expired and unused medications can be safely disposed of during the 21st Prescription Drug Take-Back Day this Saturday. Numerous law enforcement agencies are taking part in the twice-yearly event. According to the Drug Enforcement Administration, last April in Delaware more than 5,100 pounds of medications were collected at 25 locations. The chief purpose of…

Read More

Del. Weekly COVID-19 Update

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, Oct. 14, 2021.        Total positive cases since March 11, 2020: 139,380 7-day average of new positive cases: 391.6, a decrease from 445.7 last week 7-day average for the…

Read More

Rabid Skunk Discovered In Greenwood

Delaware Public Health has determined that a skunk that attacked a feral cat in Greenwood tested positive for rabies.The cat got away but was later discovered dead. DPH officials said Delawareans should be very cautious around unknown wild animals, including feral cats and strays.Wild and stray animals should not be approached, touched or fed. According…

Read More

Mixed Results in Del. Cancer Mortality Study

Delaware is making some progress in reducing cancer mortality, but the state holds the 15th-highest rating for cancer mortality in the time frame of 2013-2017, unchanged from 2012-2016. The Division of Public Health presented its data report to the Delaware Cancer Consortium Monday. To read the report, please CLICK HERE Findings are mixed, but Health…

Read More

Sussex Co. Woman Diagnosed With West Nile Virus

Zika Virus

Delaware Public Health has confirmed the year’s second case of West Nile Virus in a person – a 79-year-old Sussex County woman who has tested positive for the mosquito-borne virus. Recently, a Kent County man was found to be the first person in Delaware to get West Nile since 2018. A horse in Kent County…

Read More