Novavax COVID-19 boosters available in Hawai‘i
HONOLULU – The Hawai‘i Department of Health (DOH) announces the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has granted emergency use authorization for the COVID-19 booster by Novavax and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and DOH are allowing use of the COVID-19 booster by Novavax. Novavax monovalent COVID-19 boosters are recommended for adults 18 and older for whom a bivalent booster by Pfizer-BioNTech or Moderna is not clinically appropriate and adults who would otherwise not get a COVID-19 booster. Adults who completed their primary series of Novavax, Pfizer-BioNTech, Moderna, or Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccines at least six months ago can receive [...]
COVID-19 bivalent boosters recommended for children five and older
HONOLULU – The Department of Health (DOH) recommends COVID-19 bivalent booster vaccines for everyone age five and older. Bivalent boosters are the first COVID-19 vaccinations designed specifically to protect against original COVID-19 and the most common forms of COVID-19 in Hawai‘i, the BA.4 and BA.5 Omicron subvariants. The BA.4 and BA.5 subvariants account for almost all of the COVID-19 cases in Hawai‘i. “This is great news for parents who want to protect their young children. Bivalent boosters were already available for everyone 12 and older. Now kids ages 5-11 can benefit from these new boosters too,” said State Health Director [...]
Wastewater data consistent with important COVID-19 metrics
HONOLULU – The Department of Health (DOH) published a COVID-19 Wastewater Report on Thursday, September 29. The report shows COVID-19 cases have declined since early June and the Omicron subvariant BA.5 is the dominant strain of COVID-19 in Hawai‘i. “Data from wastewater testing aligns with other data sets,” said State Laboratories Division (SLD) Administrator Edward Desmond, Ph.D, D (ABMM). “Results from COVID-19 tests taken by individuals show case counts have dropped since June. This is consistent with data in the Wastewater Report which shows concentrations of SARS-CoV-2 have declined since June. Genome sequencing shows BA.5 is the most common subvariant [...]
COVID-19 Reinfections More Common
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 [...]
Monkeypox: What You Need to Know
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 [...]
New bivalent COVID-19 boosters offer enhanced protection
HONOLULU – The Hawai‘i Department of Health (DOH) recommends the use of the first bivalent booster vaccines designed specifically to protect against original COVID-19 and the most common forms of COVID-19 in Hawai‘i, the BA.4 and BA.5 Omicron subvariants. The BA.5 subvariant accounts for an estimated 91% of the COVID-19 cases in Hawai‘i. The BA.4 subvariant accounts for an additional 4% of the cases in Hawai‘i. “The COVID-19 boosters we have been using do a good job of protecting us against severe illness. The new bivalent boosters are an upgrade because they take into account mutations of the COVID-19 virus [...]
Kaua‘i District Health Office survey finds majority remain concerned about COVID-19
LIHUE – The Department of Health’s (DOH) Kaua‘i District Health Office released the preliminary report of its July Community Assessment for Public Health Emergency Response (CASPER) survey to assess the community’s perception of Kauaʻi’s COVID-19 response efforts and current emergency preparedness level. “The results of this survey show us that Kauaʻi residents continue to feel the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic in their day-to-day lives and are taking steps to protect themselves with vaccinations and masking,” says Dr. Janet Berreman, Kauaʻi District Health Officer, “It is gratifying that residents have the tools they need to protect themselves and that they [...]
Novavax COVID-19 vaccine available in Hawai‘i
HONOLULU – The Hawai‘i Department of Health announces scheduling opportunities for the COVID-19 vaccine manufactured by Novavax. Novavax is a two-dose primary series vaccine for individuals 18 and older. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends administering the second dose three to eight weeks after the first. Novavax is a protein subunit vaccine. It includes harmless proteins of the COVID-19 virus that trigger an immune response. Protein subunit vaccines, which include vaccines for hepatitis B, whooping cough, shingles, and other diseases, have been used in the United States for more than 30 years. “Novavax gives us another way to [...]
Media Availability with Dr. Sarah Kemble and DOE Deputy Superintendent Heidi Armstrong
Hawai‘i Department of Health State Epidemiologist Dr. Sarah Kemble and Hawai‘i Department of Education Deputy Superintendent Heidi Armstrong discuss school guidance for the 2022-2023 school year. Recorded on 07/12/2022.
Kaua‘i District Health Office to conduct survey to assess COVID-19 response efforts & emergency preparedness
LIHUE – The Department of Health’s (DOH) Kaua‘i District Health Office will conduct a Community Assessment for Public Health Emergency Response (CASPER) survey to assess the community’s perception of Kauaʻi’s COVID-19 response efforts and current emergency preparedness level. “The responses will help us understand the community’s perception of our COVID-19 response efforts over the past two years and build upon prior CASPER surveys,” said Lauren Guest, Deputy District Health Officer, Kaua‘i District Health Office. “We greatly appreciate the participation of Kaua‘i residents in this island-wide survey effort that enables the Kaua‘i District Health Office to meet our community’s needs before, [...]