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Hawaii officials attribute the recent rise in coronavirus cases statewide to the July 4 celebrations and the still large number of residents who have not been vaccinated against the virus that has so far sickened more than 39,000 people here and killed 523.
The state Department of Health reported 124 new confirmed and probable COVID-19 infections statewide on Saturday, the third consecutive day of triple-digit increase and no new deaths. Authorities reported 166 new cases on Thursday, the highest single-day case count since mid-January, and 147 cases on Friday.
Lt. Gov. Josh Green called the troubling trend a “pandemic of the unvaccinated” and said the growing spread of COVID-19 is “no doubt” linked to the rallies over the recent three-day holiday weekend.
“I expect cases to drop again by next weekend or sooner, but we will continue to see outbreaks in under-vaccinated areas. The (Labor Day) weekend will be risky like the July 4 weekend, ”Green told the Honolulu Star-Advertiser in a text message Saturday.
He said the new infections almost exclusively affect people who have not been vaccinated, adding that 95% of hospital admissions linked to COVID-19 were in unvaccinated patients.
Department of Health spokesman Brooks Baehr echoed those sentiments on Saturday, saying “we are seeing widespread community transmission among unvaccinated people” who are infected while traveling or without wearing masks. inside as prescribed.
Additionally, children who are not eligible to be vaccinated are infected by unvaccinated adults, he said.
“The timing of the recent increase in cases indicates transmission among unvaccinated people over the July 4 bank holiday weekend,” Baehr said by email.
“The delta variant is also taking root statewide, finding unvaccinated people to infect. Delta cases have doubled every two weeks in other locations and we expect the same to happen in Hawaii. We urge those eligible and not yet vaccinated to get vaccinated promptly. Vaccines prevent almost all serious illness and death. People can protect themselves and their loved ones by getting vaccinated. “
Hawaii has one of the highest vaccination rates among the 50 states. So far, 65% of the total population has received at least one injection of a COVID-19 vaccine and roughly 59% have been fully vaccinated.
Oahu leads the state with 61% of its population fully vaccinated, followed by Kauai, 59%; Island of Hawaii, 55%; and Maui County, 53%.
The figures are much better when you consider the population aged 12 and over eligible for vaccines and fully vaccinated: 71% in Oahu, 69% in Kauai, 64% on the island of Hawaii and 62% in the county of Maui.
Saturday’s new cases included 81 in Oahu, nine in Maui, 20 on the island of Hawaii, 12 in Kauai and two Hawaii residents diagnosed out of state.
The Hawaii County Civil Defense Agency said in a press release on Saturday that the recent increase in coronavirus infections on that island involved traveling “and not following preventative measures” such as frequent hand washing, covering your mouth when coughing and sneezing; and adhering to face masks, social distancing and gatherings policies.
Since the start of the pandemic, Hawaii has recorded 39,090 cases of COVID-19 and 523 deaths.
The latest data reflects the new infections reported to the Department of Health on Thursday.
During a press conference Thursday on the state’s eviction moratorium, Gov. David Ige also discussed the growing number of COVID-19 cases in Hawaii, noting that the delta variant spreads mainly among people not vaccinated.
“Our seven-day average has increased dramatically over the past three weeks. We know the higher number of cases is likely the result of the July 4 weekend, ”Ige said. “We are lucky in that we are not seeing a significant increase in hospitalizations at this point and not seeing a significant increase in the number of deaths.”
Four new hospitalizations were reported by DOH on Saturday. According to the Hawaii COVID-19 Data dashboard, 58 patients with the virus were in hospitals in Hawaii on Friday, including 13 in intensive care units and nine on ventilators.
The DOH also said there were 1,007 active cases statewide: 679 in Oahu, 164 on the island of Hawaii, 86 in Maui, 77 in Kauai and one in Molokai.
Ige said he is not inclined to change any of the current coronavirus restrictions, especially the state’s indoor mask mandate. The governor has said he wants to maintain this until 70% of the total population is vaccinated.
“I think the best course of action right now is to keep the restrictions in place,” he said Thursday.
The state’s official coronavirus death toll includes 405 deaths on Oahu, 57 on Maui, 56 on the island of Hawaii, two in Kauai and three Hawaii residents who died out of state.
Of the 39,090 confirmed and probable cases of coronavirus statewide since the start of the pandemic, 28,670 have occurred in Oahu, 4,801 in Maui, 3,445 on the island of Hawaii, 465 in Kauai, 115 in Lanai and 81 in Molokai, and 1,513 Hawaii residents have been diagnosed outside. of State.
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