Hawai’i COVID-19 Daily News Digest April 11, 2020

Department of Health:

Ninth COVID-19 Death Reported

A woman, over 65-years-old is the ninth death from COVID-19. She had underlying medical conditions and had tested positive for the virus when she was hospitalized on O‘ahu. The Dept. of Health extends its heartfelt condolences to the friends and family or our latest neighbor to pass from this disease. Twenty (20) adults and one minor (1) are among the new cases of COVID-19 being reported by DOH. Of this number, sixteen (16) are Hawai‘i residents, two (2) are non-residents, and three (3) cases are of unknown residence, pending investigation. Eleven (11) cases are community-spread, while ten (10) are unknown, and none are associated with travel. Lana‘i remains the only island with no reported cases.

LABORATORY TESTING DATA

Total Number of Individuals Tested by Clinical and State Laboratories	Positive	Negative
17,747	484	17,228

35 test results were inconclusive

Hawai‘i COVID-19 Counts as of 12:00 noon, April 11, 2020

Island of Diagnosis	New Cases	Reported since 2/28/2020 (including new cases)	Total Released from Isolation
O‘ahu	5	348	223
Hawai‘i	3	34	25
Maui	14	78	40
Kaua‘i	0	19	12
Moloka‘i	0	2	Included in Maui numbers
Lana‘i	0	0	Included in Maui numbers
Residents Diagnosed outside HI	0	2
Unknown**	-1	3
Total	21	486
Total released from isolation			300
Deaths	1	9

** Refers to positive cases that have an unknown island of diagnosis at the time of this report. As more information becomes available for these cases, they are assigned to the proper Island of Diagnosis. A negative number indicates the number of previously unknown cases that have now been assigned to an island.

 

Sentinel Testing Continues

To date, 925 specimens have been tested, of which 17 (1.8%) have been positive to date. Surveillance findings for the previous week have been assessed weekly since the program began in the 2^nd week of March to determine the geographic spread of community associated COVID-19 in combination with severity of influenza-like illness activity. The COVID-19 Sentinel Surveillance program is operated based on the framework of the existing influenza surveillance program. Healthcare providers should continue to evaluate patients with respiratory illness and order influenza diagnostic testing as clinically indicated. They are asked to send the DOH influenza requisition form (used for both the influenza and COVID-19 surveillance programs) and submit with respiratory specimens collected for a clinical diagnosis of influenza-like illness, to facilitate DOH’s investigations. Reporting on the sentinel surveillance is provided weekly as part of the DOH Flu/Respiratory Disease Surveillance Report at:

https://health.hawaii.gov/docd/resources/reports/influenza-reports/.

 

Medical Facility Cases Remain Under Investigation

DOH is emphasizing that the cluster of cases at Maui Memorial Medical Center (MMMC) is not a hospital-wide issue at-this-time but involves at least two wards with the Chronic Care Ward as the major focus. Ninety (90) staff and 36 patients have been screened and had a swab specimen collected for testing. At this time 29 people have tested positive for COVID-19, although some appear to be separate introductions and not necessarily MMMC/healthcare associated infections. While the investigation at MMMC is continuing, DOH will be supporting MMMC in notifying patients who have recently been discharged or treated and may be associated with the affected wards and staff.

Physical Distancing Remains as Critical Measure Easter Weekend

The State continues to remind everyone to practice proper physical distancing measures this holiday weekend and follow Gov. Ige’s stay-at-home order. Health professionals advise staying six feet apart from others, in addition to frequent hand washing, is the most important thing we can all do to prevent the spread of COVID-19. While cloth masks can help prevent the spread from you to another person, they are not a substitute for physical distancing. County and state law enforcement agencies are stepping up patrols and enforcement of stay-at-home orders and physical distancing recommendations this weekend. Free, downloadable, multi-lingual (additional languages are being translated) physical distancing posters and infographics are available here:

Posters:

https://www.dropbox.com/sh/hxrw6r9wl9hqfjp/AADsTo0FBLI_ol3ol5yUQD4ba?dl=0

Infographics: https://www.dropbox.com/sh/wubwnxooahmeclv/AACsVpSBkK3BzNsGCWVxwK5ka?dl=0

Hawai‘i Tourism Authority:

Passengers Arrivals for Friday, April 10

Yesterday, 424 people arrived in Hawai‘i including 104 visitors and 135 residents. Thursday marked two weeks since the state’s mandatory 14-day self-quarantine started for all passengers arriving in Hawai‘i from out of state. Those who arrived on March 26th, 27^th and 28^th no longer need to self-quarantine. The quarantine order was expanded on April 1^st to include interisland travelers. This table shows the number of people who arrived by air from out of state yesterday and does not include interisland travel.

	Kona	Maui	O‘ahu	Līhu‘e	Total
Crew		8	99	2	109
Intended New Resident			48		48
Resident		9	124		135
Transit			28		28
Visitor		4	94	6	104
Grand Total	0	21	393	10	424
Flights	0	1	10	1	12

Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs:

State Urges Hawaiʻi Colleges to Disburse Emergency Cash Grants for Students

The DCCA is encouraging Hawaiʻi’s accredited colleges to figure out how they will distribute the U.S. Department of Education’s cash grants provided by the Higher Education Emergency Relief Fund. The grants were authorized by the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act, and allows schools to help cover expenses for students that had their education disrupted due to the COVID-19 outbreak. Expenses may include, but aren’t limited to course materials, technology, food, housing, healthcare, and childcare. Bobbi Lum-Mew, Hawaii Post-Secondary Education Authorization Program Administrator said, “We want to ensure that these colleges and universities are working quickly to get funding to the students who need it the most. We encourage them to take action so that affected students can continue their education without worry.” The Hawaii Post-Secondary Education Authorization Program will be requesting authorized institutions to submit information on how they are disbursing the U.S. Department of Education cash grants, to ensure they’re distributing the funds in accordance with applicable laws. For information on COVID-19’s impact on higher education, visit the HPEAP website at http://cca.hawaii.gov/hpeap/main/covid19 /

Updated Guidance for Paycheck Protection Program Loan Applications

In response to the Small Business Administration’s (SBA) recent announcement regarding additional requirements and amended loan processing timelines for loan originating banks and financial institutions processing the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP), the DCCA Division of Financial Institutions provides further guidance to assist businesses with the necessary information to ensure PPP applications are processed quickly. “The updates in practice requires banks and financial institutions to fund PPP loans within 10 days otherwise loans granted through the program may not be guaranteed or may be denied by the Small Business Administration,” says Iris Ikeda, Commissioner of Financial Institutions. “We want to make sure our small businesses get their PPP loan funds soon. Our local banks need the documentation to validate the businesses meet the requirements of the PPP loan program.”

To process additional due diligence aligned to the SBA certifications, local institutions may require additional loan application documentation that was previously not required in the initial PPP applications. Prospective applicants are encouraged to provide the all of the documentation when applying for a PPP loan, and those who have previously applied are strongly encouraged to contact your loan originator to provide updated documentation.

More details and information about the program are available on the United States Treasury website:

https://home.treasury.gov/policy-issues/top-priorities/cares-act/assistance-for-small-businesses. Borrower’s fact sheet:

https://home.treasury.gov/system/files/136/PPP–Fact-Sheet.pdf.

Hawai‘i State Senate:

Chan Zuckerberg Initiative Donates $1M for Kaua‘i COVID-19 Relief

Senate President Ronald D. Kouchi is thanking Priscilla Chan, Mark Zuckerberg, and the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative for their donation of $1 million towards relief efforts on Kaua‘i caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. “This generous donation includes $250,000 to support the courageous team at Wilcox Medical Center in its efforts to provide health care during the COVID-19 pandemic,” said Senate President Kouchi. “The Chan Zuckerberg Initiative donation will also support food supplies, rent assistance, and educational needs on Kaua‘i. According to the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative, grants have been awarded to Wilcox Medical Center and the Hawai`i Community Foundation (HCF) to be distributed via the Chan Zuckerberg Kaua`i Community Fund to organizations supporting COVID-19 relief efforts. A donation was also given to `Aina Ho`okupu O Kīlauea.

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PDF: COVID-19 Daily News Digest April 11, 2020