State moves to weekly COVID data reporting
HONOLULU – The Hawai‘i Department of Health (DOH) is transitioning from daily to weekly COVID-19 data reporting effective immediately. Case counts and vaccination updates will be published on the DOH COVID-19 dashboard every Wednesday beginning March 16. “Our decisions have always been based on trends, not single day counts. There is greater focus now on weekly hospital admissions, weekly hospital occupancy, and weekly case counts when calculating the current community levels of COVID-19. Our processes are evolving as the pandemic evolves,” said State Health Director Dr. Elizabeth Char, FACEP. “More and more people are taking COVID-19 tests at home. Those [...]
Hawaii’s State Veterinarian says pets can get COVID, but it is not common
We love our animals in Hawai‘i. We treat our pets like family and our farm animals with respect. Unfortunately, just like humans, animals can contract COVID-19. The virus is believed to have started in an animal at an open market in China, spread to humans and then spread between people, according to the Mayo Clinic. The virus that causes coronavirus disease mostly spreads from person to person, but it can also spread from people to animals. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), pets — including cats and dogs — have been infected with the virus that [...]
Free COVID testing available in Chinatown
HONOLULU – The Hawai'i Department of Health (DOH), in partnership with the Honolulu Police Department (HPD) and Hawaii National Guard, is providing free COVID-19 testing at HPD’s Downtown Substation Monday through Friday, 8:30 a.m. – 3 p.m. Tests are conducted on a first come first serve basis. Appointments are not accepted. This location has the capacity to conduct 100 tests a day. Test results are usually available within 30 minutes. The testing site will remain open through March 11. It is closed weekends and holidays. Those wishing to be tested are reminded to wear a mask and asked to bring [...]
State Laboratories Staff ‘Rise to the Occasion’ to Protect Hawaii’s People
For the past two years, the State Laboratories Division (SLD) of the Hawai‘i Department of Health has been very busy analyzing thousands of samples COVID-19 specimens due to the ongoing pandemic. But that is not all they do to protect the people of Hawai‘i by a long shot. The dedicated doctors, researchers, and scientists at SLD are working every day keep our drinking water safe, detect impurities in our food supply, and safeguard against infectious diseases. State Laboratories Division Administrator Edward Desmond, Ph.D. “An interesting aspect of public health laboratory work is that the character of our daily [...]
New COVID-19 hotline
HONOLULU – The Hawai‘i Department of Health (DOH) has a new hotline for people with questions about COVID-19. What should I do if I test positive? What should I do if I have been in close contact with someone who has tested positive? Who can get a booster shot? Those questions and more can be answered by calling the free hotline at (808) 586-8332. “The hotline provides information about isolation, quarantine, booster shots and more. It is especially useful for people who have tested positive or have been in close contact with someone who has COVID-19. It is also useful [...]
Revised data shows increase in boosters administered & decrease in vaccinations completed
HONOLULU – The Hawai‘i Department of Health (DOH) has revised its reporting of the number of COVID-19 vaccination series completed and booster doses administered in Hawai‘i. The revisions are the result of a DOH review of vaccination reporting. Some booster doses administered to people who had received an initial Johnson & Johnson vaccine had been reported as second doses rather than booster doses. These doses, previously believed to have completed a person’s primary vaccination series, are now correctly recorded as booster doses. This revision results in the current percentage of the population that has received a booster dose increasing from [...]
Remembering the lives and lessons of Kalaupapa
More than 150 years ago, an infectious disease with no known cure spread fear across Hawai‘i – leprosy. Fearing leprosy (or Hansen’s disease) would spread uncontrolled, King Kamehameha V banished all inflicted to the isolated Kalaupapa peninsula on Moloka‘i. More than 8,000 leprosy patients, mostly Native Hawaiians, were sent to Kalaupapa Settlement before the law banishing them was changed in 1969. This month, for the first time, we honor the victims of leprosy by commemorating Kalaupapa Month, a designation signed into law by Governor David Ige last year. King Kamehameha V banished all those inflicted with Hansen’s disease to [...]
The Hawai‘i COVID Collaborative: Winning Hearts, Saving Lives
We have all learned that telling others how they should think and feel about COVID-19 vaccinations is not easy. Na‘alehu Anthony, director of the Hawai‘i COVID Collaborative, knows this all too well. Like many Native Hawaiians, Anthony, a Ka‘a‘awa resident, lives in a multi-generational household. This communal lifestyle is one of the factors that contributes to disproportionately high numbers of COVID-19 cases among Native Hawaiians. Challenging Circumstances Anthony offered his insight into some of the circumstances Native Hawaiians may encounter in their homes: “There are those who are vaccinated and unvaccinated living together, some have experienced generational trauma and [...]
Surging COVID-19 case counts & test volume force changes to data reporting and case investigation
HONOLULU – The Hawai‘i Department of Health (DOH) will temporarily stop reporting specific data sets on Sunday, January 16 so its data collection and reporting system can continue to accurately process the thousands of positive tests recorded at laboratories daily. DOH systems have not been able to process the large volume of positive and negative cases in recent days. As a result, thousands of cases, both positive and negative, have not been reported. In order to expedite the processing and reporting of positive cases, DOH will suspend the processing of negative cases. This will allow for accurate positive case counts. [...]
Media Availability with State Epidemiologist Dr. Sarah Kemble & DOE’s Keith Hayashi on K-12 Health Policy Updates
Media Availability with Hawai‘i State Department of Health’s Dr. Sarah Kemble and Department of Education Interim Superintendent Keith Hayashi discussing the updated health, isolation and quarantine policies for public school students grades K-12. Recorded on 01/11/2022.