Nick Redding of the Hawaii Data Collaborative joined the COVID-19 Care Conversation to talk about COVID-19 data today.

Redding shared that based on the data, Hawaii has flattened the curve. In fact, Hawaii is on a downward trend, largely because of the strict measures that were taken. In comparison to other states, Hawaii was successful in avoiding significant spread early on, a result of stay-at-home and quarantine mandates. From a doubling of cases in the first few weeks of COVID-19, Hawaii’s confirmed cases per population is now relatively low; single digits were reported for the past 12 days.

While we’ve seen great progress in managing the spread of COVID-19, the financial impact of these mandates on the local economy has been extreme. Thousands of Hawaii families have gone from being financially stable to struggling or in poverty. According to the Hawaii Data Collaborative, approximately 73,000 families in the state have been negatively impacted financially.

This was apparent on Thursday when thousands of Oahu residents lined up to receive food assistance. Cars stretched for two miles, waiting for four hours.

As the state begins to open businesses, people will return to work and the economy will pick back up, but this needs to occur in a staggered approach to avoid a resurgence in cases, said Redding. Other states who have started to open up may not see the consequences for two to three weeks. A staggered approach allows time to monitor the situation.

In addition, the state will need to prepare for the daily increases in visitor arrivals. Redding noted that one positive outcome from the state’s success in slowing down the spread of coronavirus is that it gave health care systems and agencies time to prepare.

The negative impacts of the coronavirus on the visitor industry and local economy is unprecedented. As Hawaii moves forward, the state will need to consider options for strengthening the economy beyond tourism.

The Hawaii Data Collective is currently working collaboratively with key stakeholders on data driven modeling to help with the decision making process as the state looks to the future.

For more information, including relevant data, analysis, and visualizations, visit HawaiiData.org/covid19.

Watch here and submit your questions through our Facebook page. Join us Monday when Gov. David Ige will be our guest.