Vaccine

HONOLULU – The Hawai‘i Department of Health is partnering with Times Pharmacy to offer Johnson & Johnson vaccines every Thursday through April 15th at a vaccination clinic in Mililani. The single-dose vaccinations are available to anyone currently eligible for vaccine.  That includes people 65 and older, essential workers at hotels, restaurants, and bars, and people being treated with dialysis, chemotherapy or other infusion therapy, or oxygen for severe respiratory conditions. The clinic will be at Mililani Town Association Recreation Center #5, located at 95-1101 ‘Āinamakua Drive from 8 a.m. until 5 p.m. this Thursday, March 25th and every Thursday through April 15th. [...]

Preliminary vaccine data by race guide expanded outreach HONOLULU – The Hawai‘i State Department of Health today outlined state- and community-based initiatives to address racial and ethnic disparities in COVID-19 infection and Hawaii’s vaccination efforts. DOH also released data illustrating the challenges in ensuring health equity in Hawaii’s COVID-19 response. A new report, “COVID-19 in Hawai‘i: Addressing Health Equity in Diverse Populations,” details the racial and ethnic disparities in COVID-19 infections and deaths in the state of Hawai‘i, documents the actions taken to reduce transmission across the state, and provides recommendations based on lessons learned from the COVID-19 response. The [...]

HONOLULU – The Hawai‘i Department of Health announces the state will extend vaccine eligibility to people age 65 and older and those who qualify as members of phase 1c beginning Monday, March 15. “This is another huge step in the ongoing effort to protect Hawaii residents from COVID-19,” said State Health Director Dr. Elizabeth Char. “We will continue to administer vaccines soon after they arrive and are pleased we can now offer shots to more people.” To date vaccines have been reserved for healthcare workers, those in long-term care facilities, frontline essential workers and people 70 and older. Expanding eligibility [...]

HONOLULU – Independent pharmacies on O‘ahu and Hawai‘i Island have administered first doses of the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine to about 10,000 residents and caregivers in approximately 1,700 small care homes and have now begun returning to administer second doses. As of mid-February, 1,537 small care homes on O‘ahu and 152 small care homes on Hawai‘i Island, or about 90% of the total number of such facilities on those islands, received vaccination visits. Five major categories of homes were visited: Adult Residential Care Homes (ARCHs), most of which house five or less residents; Community Care Foster Family Homes; Developmental Disabilities Domiciliary [...]

HONOLULU – Initial public reaction to the Johnson & Johnson vaccine in Hawai‘i has been very positive, highlighting its value in the fight against COVID-19. Its proven ability to reduce severe illness and hospitalization after just one shot makes it an attractive option for people across the state. Those who are currently eligible under the state’s vaccination plan can choose the single-shot Johnson and Johnson regimen by complete this survey at https://hawaiicovid19.com/vaccination-registration/. Demand for vaccines is still greater than supply. Therefore, only people age 60 and older and those in phase 1a and 1b of the vaccination plan are currently [...]

HONOLULU – The Hawai‘i Department of Health (DOH) administered hundreds of Johnson & Johnson’s COVID-19 vaccines to Department of Education (DOE) employees at clinic in Kaneohe today. “It is gratifying to see that so many people recognize the benefits this new vaccine offers,” said State Health Director Dr. Elizabeth Char. “The Johnson & Johnson vaccine is similar to the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines in that they are all highly effective in preventing severe illness, hospitalization and death, but different because Johnson & Johnson is a single-shot regimen.” Today’s vaccination clinic was run by the DOH Behavioral Health Administration at the [...]

HONOLULU – The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) today granted Emergency Use Authorization for Johnson & Johnson’s COVID-19 vaccination. With the FDA authorization, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control & Prevention’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices will soon issue recommendations on who should receive the vaccine and how it should be distributed. “Today’s announcement validates the FDA’s findings that this vaccine is safe and effective at preventing severe illness, hospitalization, and death,” Hawai‘i State Health Director Dr. Elizabeth Char said. “Johnson & Johnson’s one-dose regimen and less stringent handling requirements will bolster Hawaii’s vaccination efforts. We look forward to [...]

HONOLULU – Hawai‘i State Health Director Dr. Elizabeth Char today announced that the state will soon open COVID-19 vaccinations to those 70 and older. Currently, kūpuna 75 and older are eligible to get vaccinated. “We’re still in Phase 1b, and we’re not ready to go into Phase 1c yet. But soon, we’d like to welcome those 70 and older to get vaccinated. We know we still have kūpuna and frontline essential workers waiting to be vaccinated,” Dr. Char said. “We’ve been vaccinating kūpuna since about mid-January, and so we’d like to add in 70 and older to keep the uptake [...]

HONOLULU – The majority or 91% of respondents in a recent statewide survey plan to get the COVID-19 vaccine, a strong indication that attitudes about the vaccine are rapidly shifting since administration of the vaccinations first began in mid-December. According to the survey commissioned by the Hawai‘i Department of Health, 55% plan to get vaccinated as soon as they are eligible and 36% will wait before receiving their vaccinations. The survey, conducted by Anthology Research from Dec. 30, 2020 to Jan. 11, 2021, included 445 adult Hawai‘i full-time residents statewide. Anthology has been tracking resident attitudes and behaviors relating to [...]

HONOLULU – There has been an alarming increase in various types of COVID-19 scams across the nation, and kūpuna and other Hawai‘i residents are not exempt from being targeted as potential victims. The Hawai‘i Department of Health, in collaboration with the Department of the Attorney General, Executive Office on Aging’s Senior Medicare Patrol Hawaii (SMP), and the Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs, is alerting Hawai‘i residents about new COVID-19 vaccination scams. Scammers usually send phone and text messages demanding individuals to call back to receive a COVID-19 vaccination in exchange for money. Callers may falsely claim the vaccine will [...]