Hawaii’s confirmed coronavirus cases rise to 499, up 13
CRAIG T. KOJIMA /CKOJIMA@STARADVERTISER.COM
Volunteers from the Hawaii Food Alliance load up a truck Saturday as part of the Salvation Army’s drive-through emergency food distribution of milk, eggs, bread, and potatoes. The economic fallout from the rising coronavirus outbreak has greatly increased the demand for social services and emergency aid.
Hawaii Department of Health officials said today that the state’s tally of coronavirus cases has risen to 499, up 13 from Saturday.
All 13 new cases are adult Hawaii residents, according to the Health Department. Officials said today that travel-related infections in Hawaii have “have decreased markedly, with continued slight increases in community-associated cases.”
Of all the confirmed cases in Hawaii since the start of the outbreak, 44 have required hospitalizations, with no new hospitalizations reported today, officials said.
The state’s coronavirus death toll stands at nine, unchanged from Saturday, with six deaths recorded on Oahu and three on Maui.
Today’s statewide total includes 350 cases on Oahu, 84 in Maui County, 39 on Hawaii island, and 21 in Kauai County, according to health officials.
The statewide total also includes two Hawaii residents diagnosed outside of the state. Three cases in the statewide total are pending identification of county, unchanged from Saturday.
In all, state officials today reported five new cases on the Big Island, four in Maui County, two new cases each on Oahu and in Kauai County.
A total 310 patients have recovered since the start of the outbreak, with health officials reporting 10 new recoveries today. More than 60% of the people who have been infected in Hawaii are now classified as recovered.
By county, Honolulu has seen 230 patients recover, Maui has had 40 recoveries, the Big Island has had 27, and Kauai has seen 13, as of noon today, the Health Department says.
Of the 44 hospitalizations in the state, 36 have been on Oahu, seven on Maui and one on Kauai.
The COVID-19 Information Center said that of the 18,611 coronavirus tests so far conducted by state and clinical laboratories in the islands, a total 497, or just under 2.7%, have been positive. (That number does not include the two Hawaii residents living outside the state who are also counted in Hawaii’s total of 499 cases.)
Hawaii health officials said today that the cluster of cases connected to Maui Memorial Medical Center in Wailuku has grown to a total of 31 positive tests, including 22 hospital staff and nine patients. They said several tests are pending results.
“By tomorrow the hospital will have notified 194 patients who received care at MMMC by affected health care workers. DOH is assisting with telephone outreach and testing of impacted patients and health care providers is ongoing,” officials said in a news release.
