A record number of new COVID-19 cases were verified by state health officials Wednesday: 98 on Oahu, nine on Maui, and two on Kauai.Those 109 positive test results came from a pool of about 1,653 test results received Wednesday, according to the Hawaii COVID-19 Joint Information Center.The new cases continue an upward trend Hawaii has documented since last week. The previous highest daily count was 73 new COVID-19 cases registered on Saturday.Many of the cases are a result of social gatherings at beaches, parks, bars, gyms, workplaces and homes, state Health Director Bruce Anderson said....…A record number of new COVID-19 cases were verified by state health officials Wednesday: 98 on Oahu, nine on Maui, and two on Kauai.Those 109 positive test results came from a pool of about 1,653 test results received Wednesday, according to the Hawaii COVID-19 Joint Information Center.The new cases continue an upward trend Hawaii has documented since last week. The previous highest daily count was 73 new COVID-19 cases registered on Saturday.Many of the cases are a result of social gatherings at beaches, parks, bars, gyms, workplaces and homes, state Health Director Bruce Anderson said....WW…

A new forecasting tool estimates Hawaii could see between 248 and 285 new COVID-19 cases confirmed within the next two weeks.The Hawaii Pandemic Applied Modeling Work Group, or , launched the tool as an effort to better inform policy decision-making as Hawaii responds to the disease, such as travel restrictions or shelter-in-place mandates.The tool sticks to a two-week forecast, nothing longer.“We wanted to make it as time sensitive and accurate as possible,” said Thomas Lee, an epidemiologist and the COVID-19 forecaster for Hawaii’s Emergency Management Agency COVID-19 Emergency Response...…A new forecasting tool estimates Hawaii could see between 248 and 285 new COVID-19 cases confirmed within the next two weeks.The Hawaii Pandemic Applied Modeling Work Group, or , launched the tool as an effort to better inform policy decision-making as Hawaii responds to the disease, such as travel restrictions or shelter-in-place mandates.The tool sticks to a two-week forecast, nothing longer.“We wanted to make it as time sensitive and accurate as possible,” said Thomas Lee, an epidemiologist and the COVID-19 forecaster for Hawaii’s Emergency Management Agency COVID-19 Emergency Response...WW…

Health officials reported 322 on Thursday — the largest daily number recorded in the islands since September.Thirty of those cases were among patients whose diagnoses date back to Dec. 20, “due to a reporting lag at one facility,” according to an emailed statement from Department of Health Spokeswoman Janice Okubo.Among the new cases were 213 on Oahu, 56 on Maui, 18 on the Big Island, one on Kauai, and 34 residents diagnosed out of state.The cases reflect infections reported by local laboratories to Hawaii health officials through Tuesday.To date, 22,631 people in Hawaii have been diagnosed...…Health officials reported 322 on Thursday — the largest daily number recorded in the islands since September.Thirty of those cases were among patients whose diagnoses date back to Dec. 20, “due to a reporting lag at one facility,” according to an emailed statement from Department of Health Spokeswoman Janice Okubo.Among the new cases were 213 on Oahu, 56 on Maui, 18 on the Big Island, one on Kauai, and 34 residents diagnosed out of state.The cases reflect infections reported by local laboratories to Hawaii health officials through Tuesday.To date, 22,631 people in Hawaii have been diagnosed...WW…

People with high-risk medical conditions and those 65 and older will be added to the COVID-19 vaccine eligibility pool starting Monday, marking the state’s entrance into its , Hawaii health officials announced Tuesday.Until now, the vaccines were limited to health workers, long term care facility residents, and kupuna 70 years old and older, along with a collection of frontline essential workers.People on oxygen support or dialysis, as well as those undergoing chemotherapy or infusion therapy, will now be eligible, according to Department of Health Director Dr. Libby Char.Hilton Raethel,...…People with high-risk medical conditions and those 65 and older will be added to the COVID-19 vaccine eligibility pool starting Monday, marking the state’s entrance into its , Hawaii health officials announced Tuesday.Until now, the vaccines were limited to health workers, long term care facility residents, and kupuna 70 years old and older, along with a collection of frontline essential workers.People on oxygen support or dialysis, as well as those undergoing chemotherapy or infusion therapy, will now be eligible, according to Department of Health Director Dr. Libby Char.Hilton Raethel,...WW…

As COVID-19 cases in the islands signal another surge, state officials are calling on residents to stop seeing people outside of their households.Among the latest outbreaks are a cluster of at least 39 infections among staff and patients at The Queen’s Medical Center, along with a Maui condominium outbreak that has affected at least 75 people.In a , Lt. Gov. Josh Green asks viewers to stop getting together for at least two weeks.“If we don’t have any social gatherings outside of our households and our family, we’ll see these numbers come way down,” he said. “That’s the most important thing...…As COVID-19 cases in the islands signal another surge, state officials are calling on residents to stop seeing people outside of their households.Among the latest outbreaks are a cluster of at least 39 infections among staff and patients at The Queen’s Medical Center, along with a Maui condominium outbreak that has affected at least 75 people.In a , Lt. Gov. Josh Green asks viewers to stop getting together for at least two weeks.“If we don’t have any social gatherings outside of our households and our family, we’ll see these numbers come way down,” he said. “That’s the most important thing...WW…

Increased demands for public information and not enough people to process data are among the reasons for a 36 hour lag in reporting new COVID-19 cases in Hawaii, health officials say.The Hawaii Department of Health receives reports of positive COVID-19 test results on a rolling basis through the state’s electronic laboratory reporting system.But the data verification process involves sifting through 4,000 to 5,000 test results daily, identifying and deleting duplicate tests and checking for other reporting errors, according to Janice Okubo, spokeswoman for the health department. Once the...…Increased demands for public information and not enough people to process data are among the reasons for a 36 hour lag in reporting new COVID-19 cases in Hawaii, health officials say.The Hawaii Department of Health receives reports of positive COVID-19 test results on a rolling basis through the state’s electronic laboratory reporting system.But the data verification process involves sifting through 4,000 to 5,000 test results daily, identifying and deleting duplicate tests and checking for other reporting errors, according to Janice Okubo, spokeswoman for the health department. Once the...WW…

Hawaii could see a wave of COVID-19 infections in 2021 double the size of the surge the state experienced this summer, local hospital administrators warned a panel of lawmakers on Friday.Data analysts at The Queen’s Health Systems project admissions to their hospitals will double in the new year if current case trends continue, from more than 200 admissions per month to as many as 450 new admissions in January.Those are projections for hospital admissions mostly among Hawaii residents, not visitors, according to Jill Hoggard Green, the president and CEO of The Queen’s Health Systems who...…Hawaii could see a wave of COVID-19 infections in 2021 double the size of the surge the state experienced this summer, local hospital administrators warned a panel of lawmakers on Friday.Data analysts at The Queen’s Health Systems project admissions to their hospitals will double in the new year if current case trends continue, from more than 200 admissions per month to as many as 450 new admissions in January.Those are projections for hospital admissions mostly among Hawaii residents, not visitors, according to Jill Hoggard Green, the president and CEO of The Queen’s Health Systems who...WW…

The Hawaii Department of Health is launching a phone app that can notify volunteer users about possible COVID-19 exposures and assist the state’s contact tracing efforts.The will be pilot-tested starting Wednesday on Lanai in partnership with Pulama Lanai, according to Janice Okubo, DOH spokeswoman. Pulama Lanai is the management company that oversees tech billionaire Larry Ellison’s 98% ownership stake in the island.The app uses new technology jointly developed by . It holds “great potential as another tool” for contact tracers, said Dr. Sarah Kemble, acting state...…The Hawaii Department of Health is launching a phone app that can notify volunteer users about possible COVID-19 exposures and assist the state’s contact tracing efforts.The will be pilot-tested starting Wednesday on Lanai in partnership with Pulama Lanai, according to Janice Okubo, DOH spokeswoman. Pulama Lanai is the management company that oversees tech billionaire Larry Ellison’s 98% ownership stake in the island.The app uses new technology jointly developed by . It holds “great potential as another tool” for contact tracers, said Dr. Sarah Kemble, acting state...WW…

Neighborhood basketball games and parties are among the settings officially linked to ongoing clusters of COVID-19 infection in the islands, according toThe report is not comprehensive — it includes only cases still under investigation by the Department of Health during the past two weeks, and no specific location names are provided — but it provides new details about where cases are originating.“As our state looks to modify current restrictions on businesses and activities implemented in response to the global COVID-19 pandemic, the Department of Health is prioritizing not only...…Neighborhood basketball games and parties are among the settings officially linked to ongoing clusters of COVID-19 infection in the islands, according toThe report is not comprehensive — it includes only cases still under investigation by the Department of Health during the past two weeks, and no specific location names are provided — but it provides new details about where cases are originating.“As our state looks to modify current restrictions on businesses and activities implemented in response to the global COVID-19 pandemic, the Department of Health is prioritizing not only...WW…

When COVID-19 cases began to surface on the mainland in February, Hawaii health officials worried about how hospitals would keep up with an inevitable surge of cases in the islands.Hawaii’s hospital capacity was already limited before the pandemic, and To prepare, hospitals ran admission drills, gathered emergency supplies and identified rooms that could be equipped for COVID-19 patients in need of intensive care.Six months into the pandemic, hospital administrators say they’re managing — but hospital workers say they are tired and feel more anxious than ever.  “It is taxing,” said Dr....…When COVID-19 cases began to surface on the mainland in February, Hawaii health officials worried about how hospitals would keep up with an inevitable surge of cases in the islands.Hawaii’s hospital capacity was already limited before the pandemic, and To prepare, hospitals ran admission drills, gathered emergency supplies and identified rooms that could be equipped for COVID-19 patients in need of intensive care.Six months into the pandemic, hospital administrators say they’re managing — but hospital workers say they are tired and feel more anxious than ever.  “It is taxing,” said Dr....WW…