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One new coronavirus case on Oahu brings statewide total to 635

BRUCE ASATO / April 26
                                A H-1 Freeway electronic message boards near Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam alternately displays “Stay home” and “Protect don’t infect” messages to motorists last month.

BRUCE ASATO / April 26

A H-1 Freeway electronic message boards near Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam alternately displays “Stay home” and “Protect don’t infect” messages to motorists last month.

UPDATED: 3:20 p.m.

One new confirmed coronavirus case on Oahu has raised the statewide total to 635, the state Department of Health announced today.

Health officials said this afternoon that the new case was “an out-of-state resident who was screened at the airport and subsequently tested positive.”

RELATED STORY: Monday brought hundreds of visitors to Hawaii, some to stay in illegal vacation rentals

Of all the confirmed Hawaii cases since the start of the outbreak, 81 have required hospitalizations, with no new hospitalizations reported today, health officials said.

As of today, 55 infections in Hawaii are active cases with a total of 563 patients now classified by health officials as “released from isolation” since the start of the outbreak. Two new cases were reported today in this category which counts those infected people who have met the criteria for being released from isolation.

About 90% of the people in Hawaii who have been infected are now classified as released from isolation.

The state’s coronavirus death toll remained at 17, unchanged from Monday. Eleven of the deaths have been on Oahu and six on Maui.

Today’s statewide coronavirus cases total includes 411 on Oahu, 117 in Maui County, 75 on Hawaii island, and 21 in Kauai County, according to health officials.

The total also includes 11 Hawaii residents diagnosed outside of the state.

By county, Honolulu has seen 376 patients released from isolation (or 91.5%), and Maui has had 92 people (nearly 79%) released.

Hawaii County officials announced today that the Big Island has no active confirmed coronavirus cases, joining Kauai, which has seen no new reported cases since April 12.

One hospitalization in the statewide count is a Hawaii resident who was diagnosed and treated outside the state, officials said. Of the 80 hospitalizations in the state, 56 have been on Oahu, 22 on Maui and one each on the Big Island and Kauai.

Of the 37,045 coronavirus tests conducted by state and clinical laboratories through Monday in Hawaii, just 1.7% have been positive. Health officials counted more than 400 new test results today.

On Friday, Hawaii officials reported no new confirmed cases in the state for the first time in eight weeks. Hawaii’s first case of coronavirus was a visitor and reported on Feb. 14. The state began testing on Feb. 28 and had its first positive test result on March 6. At the peak, Hawaii saw 34 new COVID-19 cases a day twice in early April.

Hawaii’s low COVID-19 infection and mortality rates has increased calls to start re-opening the economy that has seen it’s top industry — tourism — collapse. However Gov. David Ige and state health officials continue to stress the importance of staying vigilant and preparing for a potentially stronger second wave of the virus.

RELATED STORY: Delay in reopening Hawaii’s economy could lead to rioting, Maj. Gen. Kenneth Hara warns

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