Hawaii Reports 243 New COVID Cases, 3 More Deaths; 59.5% vaccination rate

HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) – Hawaii recorded 243 new cases of COVID on Thursday – the biggest increase in infections in a single day since Jan. 5 in what authorities have called a sobering “wake-up call” for the unvaccinated.

Three other deaths have also been reported, including the second from Hawaii in a resident who was fully vaccinated but, according to state health officials, had “several underlying health issues.”

The rise in new infections comes after a week of triple-digit increases in cases and amid growing concern at local and national levels about the rapid spread of the highly transmissible delta variant.

The mutation now constitutes the majority of cases observed in the islands.

“We indeed have sobering news on all fronts today,” said Dr Janet Berreman, Kauai District Health Officer. “The disease is not confined to any particular type of setting or geographic area.”

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One of the new deaths is that of a fully vaccinated Oahu woman in her 60s with underlying health issues, officials said. Additional details on these conditions were not disclosed.

This is the second COVID death in Hawaii of a vaccinated resident.

The other two deaths reported Thursday, an Oahu man in his 50s and a Maui man in his 60s were unvaccinated.

The three patients who died have been hospitalized and bring the death toll from COVID in Hawaii to 527.

In another worrying trend, officials said 66 of 243 new cases Thursday – or 27% – were 18 or younger. It was not known how many were under 12 and therefore could not be vaccinated.

Health Department spokesman Brooks Baehr said the increase in cases “should be a wake-up call.”

“The delta variant has become the dominant strain in the state. It is really time to get vaccinated and be part of the solution, ”he said on a Zoom call with reporters.

Governor David Ige had a similar message on Thursday.

“If you haven’t already, please get the vaccine,” he wrote on Twitter. “We know this is one of the safest ways to protect you and your family. And as always, please continue to wear masks indoors. “

As of Thursday, 59.5% of Hawaii’s population is now fully vaccinated while 66% have received at least one dose of a two-dose vaccine.

In a social media post, Lt. Gov. Josh Green said about 78% of all cases in July were from community spread, while about 20% were from residents returning from travel.

About 2% are linked to travel by non-residents, he said.

Of the new cases Thursday, 146 were in Oahu, 50 in Hawaii County, 14 in Maui and eight in Kauai. There were also 25 residents diagnosed out of state.

The total number of cases in Hawaii since the start of the pandemic now stands at 39,892.

In the past 14 days, the state’s health department said there were 1,483 new cases statewide.

Here is the daily report table provided by the state Department of Health:

Below is the latest information provided by the DOH on Hawaii’s vaccination status:

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