Bianca

The Hawai‘i State Department of Health’s most recent Wastewater Surveillance Report documents two significant developments about COVID-19 in Hawai‛i. Higher concentrations of the virus that causes COVID-19 The arrival of the XBB.1.5 subvariant Higher concentrations in wastewater can be an early indicator the number of COVID-19 infections is increasing. “The wastewater data is concerning, but not alarming,” said State Epidemiologist Dr. Sarah Kemble. “The detection of higher virus concentrations means we should closely monitor case counts and hospitalizations for a possible surge in cases and be ready to respond should a surge materialize.” Case counts have been relatively stable since [...]

Updated COVID-19 bivalent boosters are now available in all counties for keiki as young as six months of age. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) amended the emergency use authorization for the bivalent boosters by Moderna and Pfizer-BioNTech to include keiki sized boosters earlier this month. “The authorization of these updated bivalent vaccines comes at a good time,” said State Health Director Dr. Elizabeth Char, FACEP. “Now young children can get the same protection adults have as families gather for the holidays.” “As this virus has changed, and immunity from previous COVID-19 vaccination wanes, the more people who keep [...]

You will be hard pressed to find a better Black Friday deal than a COVID-19 bivalent booster shot. They are free! And new data shows bivalent mRNA booster formulations provide significant additional protection against symptomatic COVID-19 infections. The new data prompted Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, to say, “Please, for your own safety, for that of your family, get your updated COVID-19 shot as soon as you’re eligible to protect yourself, your family and your community.” The new data comes from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). It is the first real-world data [...]

Since the emergence of the Omicron variant in Hawai‘i, a greater percentage of COVID-19 cases involve people who have been infected multiple times. On Wednesday, the Hawai‘i Department of Health (DOH) added 10,995 reinfections to the total number of COVID-19 cases on its Disease Outbreak and Control Division (DOCD) data dashboard. These cases date back to September 2020 when the first known reinfection was recorded. Prior to Wednesday, case counts on the dashboard displayed the number of unique individuals whose positive tests had been reported to DOH. People who tested positive multiple times were counted just once. “The data on [...]

Many of the preventative measures that protected us during the COVID-19 pandemic also prevent the spread of other diseases, including monkeypox. Preventative measures include staying home when sick, washing hands, limiting close personal contact with people who have symptoms, and getting vaccinated. While COVID-19 vaccines are recommended for everyone age six months and older, the JYNNEOS vaccine that protects against monkeypox is currently only for certain populations. What is monkeypox? Monkeypox is generally rare, less severe, and much less infectious than smallpox. However, it can be a serious illness. It can be spread from infected humans, animals, and materials contaminated [...]

For three years the YouTube channel “Hello from Hawaii” has been providing talk-story type videos about life in Hawai‘i from the viewpoint of one local family. The video blogs include discussions about contemporary issues big and small such as the realities of buying a home, what aloha shirts locals wear as opposed to tourists, and a look at race and discrimination in the Aloha State. But when the entire family, including the pregnant wife and 2-year-old child, all caught COVID-19 the talk became very serious. Sitting side-by-side on their living room sofa, the couple speaks directly into the camera as [...]

The U.S. Surgeon General issued an advisory in December 2021 highlighting the urgent need to address our nation’s ongoing youth mental health crisis which has been significantly expanded by the COVID-19 pandemic. Dr. Scott Shimabukuro, acting administrator for the Hawai‘i Department of Health’s Child & Adolescent Mental Health Division (CAMHD), said children in Hawai‘i have suffered from the stress and isolation imposed on them during the pandemic and now need supportive families and medical resources to help them recover. "For our kids to bounce back and thrive, families need to demonstrate the ability to appropriately express emotions with each other; [...]