BETHEL

HoR Newsletter – New Covid Information

Please review the following as it recaps the 8/5/21 Briefing from Governor Carney regarding updated Covid information:

Issue 522 – August 9, 2021
Carney Administration Considering Actions
Over Delta Variant Concerns
Fueled by anxiety over the Delta variant of COVID-19, the Carney administration is again
considering executive actions that could potentially impact citizens, schools, and state
workers.
At his press briefing on Thursday (8/5), Gov. Carney pointed the finger at Delawareans
who have been hesitant to be vaccinated as the reason for the state’s present
challenges. “Those folks that are unvaccinated are prolonging the pandemic,” he told
reporters. “They’re bringing us to a place where we have to reconsider mitigation efforts.”
The governor’s COVID-19 State of Emergency declaration was allowed to expire on July
13th, after 16 months of continuous renewals. The declaration empowered to the governor
to issue orders during that period that carried the weight of law.
On Thursday, the governor indicated the executive branch would be taking new steps
targeted at certain state workers. “Our focus will be on groups where there is the greatest
amount of risk – correctional facilities, juvenile detention centers, health care facilities –
places where state employees come into contact with the public where you don’t know
whether folks are vaccinated or not,” he said.
Presently, employee vaccine mandates are accepted as legal. On July 6th, the U.S.
Department of Justice (DOJ) indicated that private businesses and public entities can
mandate that their workers get a COVID-19 vaccine, even though the vaccines were
approved under an “emergency use authorization” issued by the U.S. Food and Drug
Administration.
The governor praised the July 29th announcement by ChristianaCare that all employees,
residents, students, volunteers and vendors must get at least one dose of a COVID-19
vaccine by September 21. “We congratulate and thank ChristianaCare…for taking that
step,” he said. “It’s a leadership step.”
According to Delaware Division of Public Health Director, Dr. Karyl Rattay, the Delta
variant is currently the most dominant strain of COVID-19 in the state and constitutes the
majority of confirmed cases.
The Delta variant is widely believed to be more contagious and transmittable than its
predecessors. Dr. F. Perry Wilson, a Yale Medical epidemiologist, recently noted the
average person infected with the original version of COVID-19 would be expected to infect
2.5 other people, while someone with Delta would be anticipated to spread it to 3.5 or 4
other people.
However, Yale Medicine officials also indicate there is no scientific consensus that the
Delta variant is any more dangerous than the original form.
According to Delaware tracking data, those age 50 and over are most likely to have
severe health issues if they contract COVID-19. This demographic segment comprises
nearly 97% of all fatalities where the virus was a significant factor. People age 65 and
older account for 83% of total fatalities related to the virus. Only one-percent of total
deaths have been attributed to people under the age of 35.
Children and teens have proven the most resilient. Only two of the 1,835 deaths
connected to COVID-19 in Delaware have involved minors.
The demographic groups most at-risk from death and serious illness from the virus are
those best protected from it. More than 93% of senior citizens have received at least one
dose of vaccine, while 86% are fully vaccinated. In the next most vulnerable age group,
50-64, 65% have been fully vaccinated, as have nearly 60% of all adults (age 18 and
over).
These numbers do not include the nearly 105,000 Delawareans who have had confirmed
cases of COVID, and acquired some form of natural immunity, but have not been
vaccinated. (State health officials do not report this metric.)
While the seven-day average of new positive cases has increased over the last two
months (from 44.3 on June 8th to 185.7 on August 8th), there has not been a proportional
increase in deaths. Over the same period, COVID-19-related fatalities have remained
virtually flat (1,821 on June 8th compared to 1,835 on August 8th).
Additionally, patients hospitalized to treat COVID-19 rose from 33 on June 8th to 101 on
August 8th. Delaware hit is pandemic hospitalization peak on January 12 of this year with
474 patients. Commenting Thursday in response to a question on total hospital capacity,
the governor told reporters: “Even in the winter surge, when hospitalization numbers hit
[474] …we weren’t bumping up against that limitation. …Even at [474] we still felt like we
had a lot of headroom.”
Dr. Rattay said state health officials are not satisfied that 67% of Delaware adults have
been administered at least one dose of vaccine. “We have got to do all we can to drive up
our vaccine numbers even more. We will all continue to look at what options are available,
and I think put just about anything on the table,” she told reporters, adding that the state
must start planning now for the inevitable COVID booster shots.