Delaware reported more COVID-19 cases last week than ever before

Delaware has reported more COVID-19 cases in the past week than in any previous week since the virus reached the state last March.

From Jan. 3 to Jan. 9, 5,823 Delawareans tested positive for COVID-19 (831.9 per day). In that time, hospitalizations increased from 432 to a record 472.

To date, 65,273 Delawareans have tested positive. Of them, 972 have died.

PREVIOUS COVERAGE: Delaware reports records for new COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations in first week of 2021

Delaware on Wednesday reported a record 1,210 new cases. Two days later, the state eased restrictions on restaurants and bars and allowed sports competitions to restart with 30% occupancy.

Students and teachers in several school districts will return to the classroom Monday, after the state last week recommended reverting to hybrid structures.

The state's stay-at-home advisory remains in place, as well as the mandate that everyone wear a mask when indoors with people whom they don't live with, including in private settings.

For several weeks, public officials warned of a post-holiday surge spurred by gatherings among family and friends around the winter holidays. Although the full impact of the holidays on the virus's spread won't be clear for several days, the average daily case count has increased every day but one since the start of the new year.

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The spread of COVID-19 is worsening nationwide, reaching a high mark for cases in the first week of 2021, according to the COVID-19 Tracking Project. There are now more than 132,000 people hospitalized with COVID-19 in the U.S.: more than were hospitalized at the peak of the spring and summer surges combined.

As of Saturday afternoon, Delaware ranks ninth-highest among all states in cases reported per 100,000 people in the last seven days, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

According to its vaccine tracker, Delaware has administered 26,567 of the 53,650 doses it received (49.5%) through Saturday.

Contact Brandon Holveck at bholveck@delawareonline.com. Follow him on Twitter @holveck_brandon.