Hawaii’s coronavirus tally rises by only 1 case for second straight day; total infections now at 620

Hawaii’s tally of coronavirus cases has risen to 620, up one from Friday, the state Department of Health announced today.

Today was the second straight day with only one new case. The one new case today is from Maui County.

A total 541 patients have recovered since the start of the outbreak, with health officials reporting nine new recoveries today. More than 87% of the people who have been infected in Hawaii are now classified as released from isolation by the state Health Department.

Of all the confirmed Hawaii cases since the start of the outbreak, 72 have required hospitalizations, with no new hospitalizations reported today, health officials said.

The state’s coronavirus death toll stands at 16, unchanged from Friday. Eleven of the deaths have been on Oahu and five on Maui.

Today’s statewide total includes 400 cases on Oahu, 117 in Maui County, 73 on Hawaii island, and 21 in Kauai County, according to health officials. The statewide total also includes nine Hawaii residents diagnosed outside of the state.

By county, Honolulu has seen 371 patients (or 92%) recover, Maui has had 87 recoveries (74%), the Big Island has seen 63 (86%), and Kauai has had 20 recoveries (95%), as of noon today, the Health Department says.

Of the 71 hospitalizations in the state, 53 have been on Oahu, 16 on Maui and one each on the Big Island and Kauai. One hospitalization in the statewide count is a Hawaii resident who was diagnosed and treated outside the state, officials said.

As of Friday, more than 31,000 coronavirus tests were conducted by state and clinical laboratories so far in Hawaii and just under 2% have been positive.

Hawaii’s relatively low number of infections and its lowest-in-the-nation COVID-19 mortality rate have increased calls to reopen the state’s economy, including at a rally Friday at the State Capitol where three protesters were arrested. However, Hawaii government leaders say that a more cautious, phased-in approach is needed to keep the virus from spreading in the community.