Safe holidays include bivalent boosters
New data from the CDC shows updated bivalent boosters provide significant additional protection against symptomatic COVID-19 in people who previously received two, three, or four monovalent vaccine doses. Research also shows people 12 and older who have received a bivalent booster are 15 times less likely to die from COVID-19 than people who have not been vaccinated. “Vaccinations and boosters are a great way to protect yourself and your loved ones from COVID-19,” said State Health Director Dr. Elizabeth Char, FACEP. “You still have time to get your shots and enjoy the full protection [...]
Protect Your ʻOhana – Get Boosted Before the Holidays
With the holiday season just around the corner, many Hawaiʻi residents are making plans to gather with family and friends or take a trip that was put off during the height of the pandemic. While case counts have remained fairly steady for the past two months, COVID-19 is still in our community. In its Nov. 9 weekly COVID update, the Hawaiʻi Department of Health reported 1,288 new cases—and sadly, five deaths. DOH also reported that just 16.5% of eligible Hawaiʻi residents received a bivalent booster since the updated vaccines became available. Getting a bivalent [...]
Hawaiʻi respiratory virus rates rise early in season
HONOLULU – The Hawai‘i Department of Health is reporting that cases of Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV) and influenza are increasing in Hawaiʻi, in line with trends observed across the country. RSV is a common respiratory virus that usually causes mild, cold-like symptoms. Most people recover in a week or two, but children under the age of five, and in particular infants, are at highest risk for severe RSV infections. Older adults, especially those with underlying medical conditions, can also experience severe illness. “Many respiratory viruses are circulating in our community, including RSV, COVID-19, and influenza,” said State Epidemiologist Dr. Sarah [...]
Protect Yourself from Flu and COVID
COVID-19 case counts inched up slightly this week but have remained fairly steady for the past two months. The CDC ranks COVID-19 community levels as being low in Honolulu, Hawai‘i, Maui, and Kaua‘i Counties. It is impossible to predict how long the levels will remain low. Getting a bivalent booster now will help protect you in the event case counts climb this winter. Doctors suggest that when you are at a pharmacy or clinic, get your booster and take advantage of the opportunity to also get your flu shot. This week is officially the [...]
Wastewater surveillance tracks COVID-19 in Hawai‘i
The public has a new tool for monitoring COVID-19 trends and the prevalence of COVID-19 variants in Hawai‘i. It is the COVID-19 Wastewater Surveillance Report. The report summarizes SARS-CoV-2 concentrations in wastewater samples collected on O‘ahu, Hawai‘i Island, Maui, and Kaua‘i. It also provides updates on the abundance of various SARS-CoV-2 variants in Hawai‘i. (SARS-CoV-2 is the virus that causes COVID-19.) The Hawai‘i Department of Health State Laboratories Division (SLD) published the first edition of the COVID-19 Wastewater Surveillance Report on September 27 and the second edition on October 11. “Data in these reports [...]
Bivalent boosters authorized for kids 5-11
Children as young as 5 years old can now get COVID-19 bivalent booster shots and receive bivalent booster protection previously available only to people age 12 and older. On Wednesday, October 12 the U.S. Food and Drug Administration issued Emergency Use Authorization for the bivalent booster manufactured by Pfizer-BioNTech for children ages 5-11 and the bivalent booster manufactured by Moderna for children and teens ages 6-17. Soon thereafter, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and DOH recommended bivalent boosters for everyone age five and older. “This is great news for parents who [...]
COVID-19 reinfection rate rising
HONOLULU – The Department of Health (DOH) is enhancing the Hawai‘i COVID-19 data dashboard to include reinfections. The percentage of COVID-19 cases involving individuals who had a prior infection is growing over time and now accounts for about 10% of new confirmed cases. “The data on reinfections underscores what we have been saying; that limited immunity from previous infection only lasts so long. Regardless of whether a person has had COVID-19 in the past, they should stay up to date on their vaccinations and boosters to get increased protection from severe illness and hospitalization,’ said State Epidemiologist Dr. Sarah Kemble. [...]
New Bivalent Boosters Targeting Omicron Subvariants Arrive Soon
New booster shots designed specifically to protect against the most common form of COVID-19 will soon be available in Hawai‘i. The new boosters are the first vaccines designed specifically to protect against the Omicron BA.4 and BA.5 subvariants as well as original COVID-19. The Hawai‘i Department of Health (DOH) and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention are recommending the bivalent boosters for people 12 and older. According to the most recent Variant Report published by the DOH State Laboratories Division, BA.5 is the dominant strain in Hawai‘i accounting for at least 91% [...]
Doctors address a laundry list of long COVID symptoms
The scores of people suffering from long COVID are difficult to quantify and categorize. Therefore, long COVID is not used as often as case counts, hospitalizations and deaths to measure the impact and severity of the pandemic. But long COVID is very real and in many cases debilitating. “We have had patients who cannot return to work. We have people from 2020 still struggling. It is quite disabling, and it is very real,” said Dr. Abby Pandula, a primary care physician with Kaiser Permanente in Hawai‘i. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and [...]
Respond to Omicron BA.5
The virus that causes COVID-19 continues to mutate and as it mutates new variants emerge. The most dominant variant in Hawai‘i is BA.5 which accounts for at least 68% of all COVID-19 cases in the state. BA.5’s dominance is expected to grow in coming weeks. How It Differs From Previous Variants BA.5 is more transmissible than its predecessors. It shows more resistance to the antibodies produced by vaccination and prior infections than previous variants. This means BA.5 has an easier time infecting people who have been vaccinated or have antibodies from a prior infection. [...]