New Castle County

Overview

Data are current as of 6pm the previous day. Last update: 12/25/2020 12:37 PM.

The State of Delaware has recommended that schools pause in-person learning on December 14 and return to hybrid on January 11. Schools that do not currently face significant operational challenges may remain in hybrid learning.

* The State of Delaware uses statewide COVID-19 data to make recommendations about school reopening.

See More Details

The Division of Public Health has removed “Recoveries” from its statistical reporting on the COVID-19 data portal as this metric is no longer a true reflection of the number of persons that recovered from the disease. Cases considered recovered included only infected persons who reported to DPH that they had reached the end of their isolation period. It does not capture instances such as in long-term care and other congregate settings where patients are cleared by facility medical staff, not DPH. In addition, it does not include those who do not respond to, or complete, case investigation by contact tracers.

Date Range:

262,204

Persons Tested Negative

Total Positive Cases

30,964 556.7 per 10,000 people

Confirmed

30,169

Probable

795

Positive Cases in Comparable Location

State of Delaware

53,653

Total Deaths

444 7.0 per 10,000 people

Confirmed

376

Probable

68

Trends: New Castle County over the Last 14 Days

14-day charts 30-day charts 90-day charts All available data

Case counts and test data by date of report can vary significantly from day to day for a variety of reasons. In addition to changes due to actual changes in disease incidence, trends are strongly influenced by testing patterns (who gets tested and why), testing availability, lab analysis backlogs, lab reporting delays, new labs joining our electronic laboratory reporting system, mass screenings, etc.

Current Hospitalizations (New Castle County)

Trend Line

Percent of persons testing positive, and percent of tests that are positive are helpful indicators in understanding the spread of infection in a community. Percent of persons testing positive indicate one result reported for each individual tested (positive or negative), even if that person is tested more than once with the same result. As a result, it often reflects higher positivity rates.

Percent of tests that are positive indicates the total number of specimens tested, including when an individual is tested more than once, and reflects higher reported test numbers and lower positivity rates. It is also more widely used by other states and the Federal government, and is therefore useful to compare Delaware to other jurisdictions.

Because of the increasing frequency of repeat testing, using person-based percent positives could be misleading on a daily basis. Therefore, using the percent of tests that are positive is a more useful measure to make operational decisions. Data for percent of tests that are positive are based on the testing date, while data for persons testing positive is based on the date results are reported to DPH. There is a two-day lag for presenting data related to percent of tests that are positive to account for the time delay between the date of the test and the date that DPH receives the test result.

Percent of persons testing positive Percent of tests that are positive

Average

Percent Positive

Trend Line

Averaging method: averages are a moving calculation that smooth unstable data. For each data point, seven values are averaged: the data point and the six preceding data points. Toward the beginning of the time series, when there are fewer than six values before a data point, instead of averaging seven values, only the available values are used in the calculation.

A technical issue caused some laboratory results from being properly received by DPH in recent days. These results have now been received, and are included in our surveillance system, therefore you may notice today (Dec. 25) a slight increase in the number of positive cases and total tests for prior test dates back to Dec. 15, 2020. Please note: This has not had a significant impact on the percent positive rates for these dates or the seven-day average.

Average

Percent Positive

Trend Line

Averaging method: averages are a moving calculation that smooth unstable data. For each data point, seven values are averaged: the data point and the six preceding data points. Toward the beginning of the time series, when there are fewer than six values before a data point, instead of averaging seven values, only the available values are used in the calculation.

A technical issue caused some laboratory results from being properly received by DPH in recent days. These results have now been received, and are included in our surveillance system, therefore you may notice today (Dec. 25) a slight increase in the number of positive cases and total tests for prior test dates back to Dec. 15, 2020. Please note: This has not had a significant impact on the percent positive rates for these dates or the seven-day average.

Average

New Positive Cases

Trend Line

Average

Tests Performed

Trend Line

State of Delaware

New Castle County

Current Status

Data are updated every Monday *

3

Significant

Community Spread

The State of Delaware has recommended that schools pause in-person learning on December 14 and return to hybrid on January 11. Schools that do not currently face significant operational challenges may remain in hybrid learning.

* Unlike other COVID data on My Healthy Community, historical data presented on the school reopening dashboard are not updated daily. This is because the reopening dashboard is used to make decisions based on the best available data at the time and are not informed by real-time updates to historical data. These data are updated on Mondays. This is to allow for complete reporting of the week's test data.

Breakdown of This Week's Status (12/12/2020 - 12/18/2020)

Overall rating *

Significant

New cases rate

(per 100,000 people)

560.0

Significant

More than 100

% of tests that are positive

9.1%

Significant

More than 8%

Avg. daily hospitalizations

(per 100,000 people)

41.9

Significant

More than 25

*The State of Delaware uses statewide COVID-19 data to make recommendations about school reopening.

Planning Scenarios for Schools

	1 Minimal Community Spread	2 Minimal-to-Moderate Community Spread	3 Significant Community Spread
Description	Schools are open for in-person instruction.	Schools may use a hybrid model of remote learning and in-person learning options with precautions in place.	School buildings are closed — remote learning only.
Criteria
New cases rate (per 100,000 people)	Fewer than 5	5 to 100	More than 100
% of tests that are positive	Less than 1%	1 to 8%	More than 8%
Avg. daily hospitalizations (per 100,000 people)	Fewer than 10	10 to 25	More than 25
Overall rating*	2 or more Minimal (green) ratings	2 or more Minimal-to-Moderate (yellow) ratings	2 or more Significant (red) ratings

*If there is one of each color, % of tests that are positive determines the overall rating.

Status by Week	Overall rating	New cases rate (per 100,000 people)	% of tests that are positive	Avg. daily hospitalizations (per 100,000 people)
12/12/2020 - 12/18/2020	Significant	560.0	9.1	41.9
12/05/2020 - 12/11/2020	Significant	636.8	9.1	36.2
11/28/2020 - 12/04/2020	Significant	499.0	9.1	26.5
11/21/2020 - 11/27/2020	Minimal-to-Moderate	380.1	5.9	20.0
11/14/2020 - 11/20/2020	Minimal-to-Moderate	345.1	5.4	15.5
Show/hide additional weeks
11/07/2020 - 11/13/2020	Minimal-to-Moderate	243.0	5.5	11.0
10/31/2020 - 11/06/2020	Minimal-to-Moderate	141.4	4.2	9.2
10/24/2020 - 10/30/2020	Minimal-to-Moderate	106.7	3.1	7.4
10/17/2020 - 10/23/2020	Minimal-to-Moderate	89.8	2.8	9.4

Testing

How can I get tested?

Percent of persons testing positive, and percent of tests that are positive are helpful indicators in understanding the spread of infection in a community. Percent of persons testing positive indicate one result reported for each individual tested (positive or negative), even if that person is tested more than once with the same result. As a result, it often reflects higher positivity rates.

Percent of tests that are positive indicates the total number of specimens tested, including when an individual is tested more than once, and reflects higher reported test numbers and lower positivity rates. It is also more widely used by other states and the Federal government, and is therefore useful to compare Delaware to other jurisdictions.

Because of the increasing frequency of repeat testing, using person-based percent positives could be misleading on a daily basis. Therefore, using the percent of tests that are positive is a more useful measure to make operational decisions. Data for percent of tests that are positive are based on the testing date, while data for persons testing positive is based on the date results are reported to DPH. There is a two-day lag for presenting data related to percent of tests that are positive to account for the time delay between the date of the test and the date that DPH receives the test result.

Date Range:

Total Persons Tested Total Tests

New Castle County

293,168 52,810.4 per 100,000 people

Total Persons Tested in Comparable Location

State of Delaware

496,409

New Castle County

553,633 99,729.8 per 100,000 people

Total Tests in Comparable Location

State of Delaware

929,429

Total Persons Tested Total Tests

293,168

Total count on 12/25/2020

52,810.4

rate per 100,000 people on 12/25/2020

Total Persons Tested

553,633

Total count on 12/25/2020

99,729.8

rate per 100,000 people on 12/25/2020

Total Tests

262,204

Total count on 12/25/2020

4,723.3

rate per 10,000 people on 12/25/2020

Persons Tested Negative

Total Persons Tested by Race/Ethnicity

Total Persons Tested by Race/Ethnicity & County

Race/Ethnicity	New Castle	State of Delaware	Kent	Sussex
Non-Hispanic White	135,510	243,397	30,377	64,935
Non-Hispanic Black	59,283	90,811	14,953	10,987
Another/Multiple	28,584	46,465	4,476	9,772
Hispanic/Latino	25,871	40,353	3,530	9,260
Asian/Pacific Islander	9,520	11,697	1,019	820
Unknown	34,400	63,686	11,837	14,283

Rate of Persons Tested by Race/Ethnicity

Rate of Persons Tested by Race/Ethnicity & County

Race/Ethnicity	New Castle	State of Delaware	Kent	Sussex
Hispanic/Latino	4,784.6	4,675.1	2,898.2	4,615.2
Non-Hispanic Black	4,277.0	4,326.6	3,376.0	4,070.5
Non-Hispanic White	3,783.3	3,716.5	2,619.6	3,592.3
Asian/Pacific Islander	3,093.4	3,144.4	2,855.9	2,870.1

Cases (New Castle County)

New Positive Cases Total Positive Cases (Early Days of the Pandemic)

This animated map shows the rate of new cases of COVID-19 across Delaware as a 7 day average. We can see the period during the summer when the disease was less prevalent, and the areas of the State where people were hit hardest.

This animated map shows the cumulative rate of positive tests when COVID-19 began in Delaware in March and April 2020. The maps depict the arrival of this disease in Delaware, with some areas of the State experiencing much higher rates of infection.

Total Positive Cases

30,964 556.7 per 10,000 people

Confirmed

30,169

Probable

795

Positive Cases in Comparable Location

State of Delaware

53,653

0-4

5-17

18-34

35-49

50-64

65+

Rate of Cases by Age

Rate of Cases by Age & County

Age	New Castle	State of Delaware	Kent	Sussex
0-4	251.9	237.4	175.6	252.7
5-17	369.7	353.9	253.9	403.8
18-34	758.8	777.6	594.6	1,037.3
35-49	660.7	705.2	624.0	910.2
50-64	535.3	554.8	525.6	614.8
65+	452.2	459.5	471.9	460.4

Rate of Cases by Sex

Rate of Cases by Sex & County

Sex	New Castle	State of Delaware	Kent	Sussex
Female	581.6	582.6	493.0	651.0
Male	531.0	544.6	470.3	633.2

Rate of Cases by Race/Ethnicity

Rate of Cases by Race/Ethnicity & County

Race/Ethnicity	New Castle	State of Delaware	Kent	Sussex
Hispanic/Latino	1,062.7	1,112.1	676.5	1,502.2
Non-Hispanic Black	589.9	607.7	556.3	777.6
Non-Hispanic White	358.0	369.8	350.5	403.7
Asian/Pacific Islander	227.5	266.1	451.2	444.5

0-4

5-17

18-34

35-49

50-64

65+

Total Cases by Age

Total Cases by Age & County

Age	New Castle	State of Delaware	Kent	Sussex
0-4	820 (3%)	1,302 (2%)	193 (2%)	286 (2%)
5-17	3,277 (11%)	5,258 (10%)	752 (9%)	1,224 (9%)
18-34	10,139 (33%)	16,520 (31%)	2,471 (29%)	3,866 (27%)
35-49	6,991 (23%)	12,005 (22%)	1,929 (23%)	3,051 (22%)
50-64	6,053 (20%)	10,887 (20%)	1,749 (21%)	3,067 (22%)
65+	3,683 (12%)	7,680 (14%)	1,343 (16%)	2,635 (19%)
Unknown		1 (0%)

Total Cases by Sex

Total Cases by Sex & County

Sex	New Castle	State of Delaware	Kent	Sussex
Female	16,650 (54%)	28,545 (53%)	4,464 (53%)	7,363 (52%)
Male	14,277 (46%)	25,029 (47%)	3,963 (47%)	6,739 (48%)
Unknown		79 (0%)

Total Cases by Race/Ethnicity

Total Cases by Race/Ethnicity & County

Race/Ethnicity	New Castle	State of Delaware	Kent	Sussex
Non-Hispanic White	12,823 (41%)	24,216 (45%)	4,064 (48%)	7,298 (52%)
Non-Hispanic Black	8,177 (26%)	12,755 (24%)	2,464 (29%)	2,099 (15%)
Hispanic/Latino	5,746 (19%)	9,599 (18%)	824 (10%)	3,014 (21%)
Another/Multiple	1,942 (6%)	3,209 (6%)	441 (5%)	803 (6%)
Asian/Pacific Islander	700 (2%)	990 (2%)	161 (2%)	127 (1%)
Unknown	1,576 (5%)	2,884 (5%)	483 (6%)	788 (6%)

Deaths (New Castle County)

The Division of Public Health has removed “Recoveries” from its statistical reporting on the COVID-19 data portal as this metric is no longer a true reflection of the number of persons that recovered from the disease. Cases considered recovered included only infected persons who reported to DPH that they had reached the end of their isolation period. It does not capture instances such as in long-term care and other congregate settings where patients are cleared by facility medical staff, not DPH. In addition, it does not include those who do not respond to, or complete, case investigation by contact tracers.

444

Total count on 12/25/2020

7.0

rate per 10,000 people on 12/25/2020

Deaths

Total Deaths by Age

Total Deaths by Age & County

Age	New Castle	State of Delaware	Kent	Sussex
0-4	0 (0%)	0 (0%)	0 (0%)	0 (0%)
5-17	0 (0%)	0 (0%)	0 (0%)	0 (0%)
18-34		13 (1%)
35-49		21 (2%)
50-64	49 (11%)	118 (13%)	28 (18%)	41 (14%)
65+	381 (86%)	739 (83%)	126 (80%)	232 (80%)

Total Deaths by Sex

Total Deaths by Sex & County

Sex	New Castle	State of Delaware	Kent	Sussex
Female	227 (51%)	455 (51%)	80 (51%)	148 (51%)
Male	217 (49%)	436 (49%)	78 (49%)	141 (49%)

Total Deaths by Race/Ethnicity

Total Deaths by Race/Ethnicity & County

Race/Ethnicity	New Castle	State of Delaware	Kent	Sussex
Non-Hispanic White	289 (65%)	594 (67%)	98 (62%)	207 (72%)
Non-Hispanic Black	111 (25%)	218 (24%)	54 (34%)	53 (18%)
Another/Multiple		13 (1%)
Hispanic/Latino		61 (7%)
Asian/Pacific Islander		4 (0%)
Unknown		1 (0%)

Coronavirus (COVID-19) Data Dashboard