Hawai‘i Department of Health announces new metrics to better track and manage the pandemic
HONOLULU – With the high number of positive COVID-19 cases in the state, the Hawai‘i Department of Health will be introducing new metrics to assist in decision-making and to better track and manage the disease with a higher degree of accountability, announced Health Director Dr. Bruce Anderson. The new metrics will augment existing metrics to assess the impact of policy changes and as a way for policymakers and the public to track the course of the outbreak. The Department of Health will use these metrics to enhance the current dashboard to effectively evaluate the four pillars of the public [...]
27th Death from Coronavirus Reported
Honolulu Man, 40-59 Years-Old is Latest COVID-19 Casualty HONOLULU – The Honolulu Medical Examiner reported the death of a Honolulu man to the Dept. of Health, who had tested positive for COVID-19. The man was in the 40 to 59-year-old age group and he had underlying medical conditions. An investigation into his cause of death continues, and it is recorded as the 27th COVID-19 death in Hawai‘i since the beginning of the pandemic. Health Director Dr. Bruce Anderson stated, “We all extend our condolences to the family and friends of this man. Every death reminds us how very serious [...]
Triple digit coronavirus case counts continue into a second week
HONOLULU – The highest, single-day record of new positive COVID-19 cases is being reported by the Dept. of Health today, at 207. Approximately 114 of these cases are the result of delayed reporting over the weekend, a result of private clinical laboratory reporting issues. Health Director Bruce Anderson said, “It’s becoming increasingly more difficult to detail all of the situations in which people are becoming infected with coronavirus. It runs the whole gamut of hanging out with close friends, socializing in bars, attending religious events and funerals, and many other types other social gatherings. This virus does not discriminate [...]
Temporary laboratory reporting delays affect COVID-19 case numbers
Large Gatherings Continue to Spread Virus HONOLULU – The daily reporting of positive COVID-19 cases in Hawaii has been temporarily affected by missing data on Saturday and again today from Clinical Laboratories of Hawai‘i, a major private laboratory conducting most of tests in the state. From the test results that are available today, the Department of Health is reporting 45 additional cases of coronavirus. This is the second day, new case numbers dropped from triple digits to double digits, but this is not a complete and accurate picture due to the temporary delay in receiving complete data. State Epidemiologist [...]
Encouraging coronavirus case numbers partly a result of testing lag
HONOLULU - The Hawai‘i Department of Health is reporting today, 87 new positive COVID-19 cases diagnosed on O‘ahu for a cumulative total of 2,197 cases in the state, reported since March. While this number is encouraging and lower than previous days, it also reflects a significant lag in the testing results. With many test specimens now being sent to mainland labs for processing, reporting of test results is delayed 5-7 days. This delay may make case numbers appear lower than actual disease activity. “Many of the cases reported recently are associated with social gatherings,” said Health Director Bruce Anderson. This month, multiple cases [...]
New record number of COVID-19 cases reported due to testing delays
Number of COVID-19 Cases Top 100 HONOLULU – The number of COVID-19 cases reported Wednesday have hit another single-day record, although the State had been anticipating the increase due to lab closures on Sunday and Monday after Hurricane Douglas. The case count for today stands at a total of 109; 98 on O‘ahu, nine (9) on Maui, and two (2) on Kaua‘i. A total of 5,160 tests were processed between Saturday and today. Normally, about 1,000-2,000 tests are processed each day. “The dramatic increase in cases reported today was anticipated based on recent trends since the Fourth of July [...]
Health investigators search for bar patrons for contact tracing
HONOLULU – Public health authorities from the Dept. of Health (DOH) are advising anyone who may have patronized two Honolulu bars to step forward and contact their physicians for follow-up. The two bars involved are Brix & Bones located at 1217 Hopaka St. and Arena 808 located at 1020 Ke‘eaumoku St., and the time-period of visits is between July 16-26. So far five (5) cases of COVID-19 are associated with exposure to the virus at these establishments. In addition, as many as seven (7) positive cases are potentially associated with these clusters. State Epidemiologist Dr. Sarah Park said, “Given [...]
Third consecutive day of record COVID-19 cases
Hundreds in Quarantine or Isolation Affirm Shelter-in-Place Plans HONOLULU – As Tropical Cyclone Douglas approaches, across the state 625 people, currently in isolation or quarantine due to exposure to someone or being positive for COVID-19, have affirmed they will shelter-in-place. With record new cases today, it’s expected the number of people in isolation or quarantine will rise by the end of the day. The Hawai‘i Department of Health contacted these individuals yesterday and at that time, they indicated they do not intend to seek accommodations at a public shelter. Today, DOH reports a new single-day record case count of [...]
Social media influencer arrested for quarantine violations
HONOLULU – A 20-year-old woman from Birmingham, Alabama was arrested this morning by Special Agents from the Investigations Division of the Dept. of the Attorney General. Anne S. Salamanca arrived in Honolulu on July 6, and four days later, the Hawai‘i Tourism Authority (HTA) learned she was out in public breaking the State’s mandatory 14-day quarantine. HTA informed the AG Special Agents, who were provided videos showing her dancing in a store and out dining with companions. KITV reported yesterday that Salamanca has millions of social media followers and claimed in a video that a law enforcement officer told [...]
Second day of record COVID-19 cases in Hawai‘i
HONOLULU – After a record number of new coronavirus cases on Thursday, today the Hawai‘i Dept. of Health (DOH) is reporting another single-day record of 60 new COVID-19 infections. The majority of the cases, like yesterday, are on the island of O‘ahu (58), with one case on Maui, and the other one is a Hawai‘i resident diagnosed out of state. State Health Director Bruce Anderson said, “We’re concerned that this relatively high level of cases is persisting on O‘ahu. Some of the cases we’re reporting today are associated with existing clusters, known cases and household spread, but others are [...]