Hawai‘i COVID-19 Daily News Digest August 11, 2020

Department of Health:

Declining Numbers of Cases May be Due to Decrease in Number of Tests

DOH reports 118 positive cases today. This is the lowest daily triple-digit case count, but it is unclear as to whether this was a result of a decrease in the number of tests. However, the percent of positivity over the past week remains relatively unchanged at 5.8%. Note: The deaths of two elderly O‘ahu men will be included in tomorrow’s case numbers.

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

Island of Diagnosis	New Cases	Reported since 2/28/2020 (including new cases)
O‘ahu	112	3,361
Hawai‘i	2	133
Maui	4	188
Kauai	0	49
Moloka‘i	0	2
Lana‘i	0	0
HI residents diagnosed outside of HI	0	23
Total Cases	118	3,756
Deaths	0	34

Hospitalization count as of 8/10/20 at 5:25 pm: 2-Hawai‘i, 0-Maui, 162-O‘ahu, 2-Kaua‘i

Laboratory* Testing Data

There were 1,671 additional COVID-19 tests reported via electronic laboratory reporting.

Total Number of Individuals Tested by Clinical and State Laboratories	Positive	Negative
147,507**	3,756	143,732

*Electronic Laboratory Reporting **19 test results were inconclusive

HawaiiCOVID19.com

For more tables, charts and visualizations visit the DOH Disease Outbreak Control Division: https://health.hawaii.gov/coronavirusdisease2019/what-you-should-know/current-situation-in-hawaii

Hawai‘i COVID-19 Joint Information Center:

Honolulu Woman’s Powerful Story of Surviving COVID-19

There was a time, in the spring, when Sarah Bolles of Salt Lake thought she was going to die. Diagnosed in the early weeks of the COVID-19 pandemic she credits excellent health care, her faith, and the support of her family for her survival. It was definitely touch and go and in a recent interview she reflects on just how close she was to death’s door, her struggle to overcome the insidious coronavirus, and now six months later, her continuing physical and emotional struggles.

Sarah is not sure how she was infected, prior to widespread lockdowns and restrictions.

Her first symptom was a headache, quickly followed by a fever…a really high one of 104.3 degrees. On her first trip to Kaiser Permanente at Moanalua she was tested for COVID-19 and got the results back five days later. Her respiratory results were normal, but during these five days she started experiencing shortness of breath. “I just remember that day being at home and being scared and not being able to breathe. I thought, I have to call 911,” Bolles said.

She said American Medical Response responded very quickly and she was back at the hospital within ten minutes, where she had another coronavirus test. “It was a surreal time for me because I thought, I’ll never get to see my family again. They’re going to sedate me; they’re going to put me in a coma. It happened so fast.”

Fast forward three-weeks, the amount of time she spent in a medically induced coma. When she woke up, she said she was in a complete state of shock. Altogether she spent about a month and a half in the hospital.

Sarah is 34 years old, the single mother of a 13-year-old daughter, Mia. She does have some underlying medical issues but is not in the most-vulnerable age group. She commented, “When I first got sick, I wasn’t thinking COVID-19. I’d heard about the virus and that it was going around. Now, when you actually experience this disease yourself or know someone who has it, you realize just how severe it is.” She implores everyone to wear masks and to physically distance. “Just think about the lives that you are saving when you are thinking about others and not just yourself,” she said. Read the full news release: https://hawaiicovid19.com/honolulu-womans-powerful-story-of-surviving-covid-19/

Watch the full interview with Sarah Bolles:

https://vimeo.com/446658767

Hawai‘i State Judiciary: 

Judiciary Facility Entry Restrictions Modified for Three Counties  

Chief Justice Mark E. Recktenwald has issued an order that effective Tuesday, “No one shall enter Judiciary facilities in the Second, Third, and Fifth Circuits if they have traveled in the past 14 days.” This restriction was added in response to Gov. David Ige’s 11th Proclamation related to inter-island travel and applies to facilities in the counties of Maui, Hawai‘i, and Kaua‘i. The denial of access to anyone with a fever, cough, shortness of breath or difficulty breathing, or other symptoms of respiratory illness and/or close prolonged contact with a person who has or is suspected to have COVID-19 remains in place.

First Circuit Chief Judge R. Mark Browning has also issued two emergency orders, reducing in-person proceedings at the district and family courts and increasing the number of hearings conducted remotely. Chief Judge Browning said, “We have been expanding our court operations in phases, but now find it necessary to scale back in-person appearances in response to the recent spike in COVID-19 cases on Oahu. Fortunately, we have greatly increased our remote hearing capabilities and will use Zoom and Webex technology to conduct as many proceedings when possible.” To see other modifications for traffic hearings, misdemeanor cases, felony cases, and more:

https://www.courts.state.hi.us/news_and_reports/2020/08/judiciary-facility-entry-restrictions-modified-for-maui-hawaii-and-kauai-counties

Hawai‘i Tourism Authority: 

2,969 Passengers Arrive on Monday 

Yesterday, a total of 2,969 people arrived in Hawai‘i including 732 visitors and 913 returning residents. There was a total of 34 arriving flights. This table shows the number of people who arrived by air from out of state yesterday but does not show interisland travel.

AIRPORT ARRIVALS FOR MONDAY, AUGUST 10, 2020 

	KONA	MAUI	O‘AHU	LĪHUʻE	TOTAL
Crew	13	28	267	7	315
Transit	1	1	153	1	156
Military			223		223
Exempt			348		348
Relocate to Hawai‘i	13	27	233	9	282
Returning Resident	35	58	810	10	913
Visitor	22	54	636	20	732
GRAND TOTAL	84	168	2,670	47	2,969
Flights	3	4	26	1	34

https://www.hawaiitourismauthority.org/media/5041/081120-passenger-count-press-release.pdf

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