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Hawaii News

4 coronavirus-related deaths and 250 new COVID-19 cases push Hawaii’s tally past 23,000

JAMM AQUINO / JAQUINO@STARADVERTISER.COM
                                Manoa Gardens resident Tsugie Terao on Saturday received the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine from pharmacist Ahn Mitsuda. CVS, under a direct contract with the federal government, operated the Manoa senior housing facility’s vaccination clinic. A vaccination clinic at the West Loch Elderly Village is scheduled for Thursday.
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JAMM AQUINO / JAQUINO@STARADVERTISER.COM

Manoa Gardens resident Tsugie Terao on Saturday received the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine from pharmacist Ahn Mitsuda. CVS, under a direct contract with the federal government, operated the Manoa senior housing facility’s vaccination clinic. A vaccination clinic at the West Loch Elderly Village is scheduled for Thursday.

JAMM AQUINO / JAQUINO@STARADVERTISER.COM
                                CVS pharmacist Anh Mitsuda loads syringes with the Moderna COVID-19 at Manoa Gardens retirement community on Saturday.
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Swipe or click to see more

JAMM AQUINO / JAQUINO@STARADVERTISER.COM

CVS pharmacist Anh Mitsuda loads syringes with the Moderna COVID-19 at Manoa Gardens retirement community on Saturday.

JAMM AQUINO / JAQUINO@STARADVERTISER.COM
                                Manoa Gardens resident Tsugie Terao on Saturday received the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine from pharmacist Ahn Mitsuda. CVS, under a direct contract with the federal government, operated the Manoa senior housing facility’s vaccination clinic. A vaccination clinic at the West Loch Elderly Village is scheduled for Thursday.
JAMM AQUINO / JAQUINO@STARADVERTISER.COM
                                CVS pharmacist Anh Mitsuda loads syringes with the Moderna COVID-19 at Manoa Gardens retirement community on Saturday.

Four new coronavirus-related deaths and 250 infections were reported by Hawaii’s Department of Health on Saturday, bringing the state’s totals since the start of the pandemic to 307 fatalities and 23,143 cases.

No details were immediately available on the four latest deaths, which occurred on Oahu.

The state’s official coronavirus-­related death toll now shows 241 fatalities on Oahu, 45 on Hawaii island, 18 on Maui, one on Kauai and two Hawaii residents who died on the mainland.

The new cases reported by the Health Department include 159 on Oahu, 51 on Maui, 20 on the Big Island and 20 residents diagnosed outside of Hawaii. As a result of updated information, one case each on Maui and Oahu were removed from the counts.

The statistics released Saturday reflect the new infections reported to the department on Thursday.

The total numbers of coronavirus cases by island since the start of the outbreak are 19,071 on Oahu, 1,994 in Hawaii County, 1,247 on Maui, 157 on Kauai, 106 on Lanai and 25 on Molokai. An additional 543 Hawaii residents were diagnosed outside of the state.

Twenty-nine new cases were reported in the Department of Education’s weekly coronavirus report for the week ending Jan. 8. Of the total, 13 cases involved DOE workers or students who had not been on campus for some time.

The report showed two em- ployees and a visitor in the Kaimuki-McKinley­-Roosevelt district testing positive for COVID-19; along with a student in the Aiea-Moanalua-­Radford district; two employees in the Leilehua-Mililani-Waialua district; three employees in the Campbell-­Kapolei district; two employees and a service provider in the Pearl City-Waipahu district; an employee in the Castle-­Kahuku district; an employee in the Kailua- Kalaheo district; an employee in the Kau-Keeau-­Pahoa district; and an employee in the Honokaa-­Kealakehe-Kohala-­Konawaena district.

DOE’s statewide total since June 26 is 380 cases.

Oahu Transit Services said it was notified Saturday that one of TheBus drivers had tested positive for COVID-19. The driver last worked Monday on routes 61, from 5:05 to 5:33 a.m.; 66, from 5:33 to 6:17 a.m.; and route 6, from 6:23 a.m. to 1:10 p.m. The driver also worked Jan. 3 on Route 31 from 5:56 a.m. to 1:56 p.m.

Vehicles driven by the operator were cleaned and disinfected, officials said, and the operator had no prolonged contact with any riders or employees.

On Maui, Hale Makua Health Services confirmed Saturday that one staff member had tested positive for COVID-19 at its Kahului care facility. The individual is asymptomatic and quarantining at home, the company said. The positive case was discovered through a round of testing all residents and staff after a resident was confirmed positive for COVID-19 earlier in the week. The two cases are unrelated, as they did not have contact and were in different areas in the facility, Hale Makua said.

After completing a first round of testing that included 195 residents and 354 staff, all others have been negative, according to the company. Additional testing is planned.

State health officials announced Thursday they have started posting the total number of vaccinations administered statewide. As of Saturday, the department said 25,470 individuals have been vaccinated, including 17,991 on Oahu, 3,013 in Maui County, 2,526 in Hawaii County and 1,940 on Kauai. The vaccination numbers are updated weekly.

Pharmacies are continuing to administer vaccinations at long-term-care facilities and senior housing around the state, with first-dose vaccinations completed at 22 facilities.

CVS, under a contract with the federal government, offered its first vaccination clinic at the city’s Manoa Gardens senior housing on Saturday, with a clinic for West Loch Elderly Village in Ewa Beach scheduled for Thursday.

Hawaii health officials said 2,068 cases of the state’s total infection count were considered to be active. Saturday’s number of active cases in the state increased by 118.

By island, Oahu has 1,543 active cases, Maui has 372, Hawaii island has 135, and Kauai has 15, and Molokai has three, according to the state’s latest tally. Lanai has no active COVID cases.

Health officials counted 6,502 new COVID-19 test results in Saturday’s tally, for a 3.84% statewide positivity rate. The state’s seven-day average positivity rate is 3.5%, according to the Hawaii COVID-19 Data Dashboard.

According to the latest information from the Hawaii COVID-19 Data Dashboard, a total of 129 patients with the virus were in Hawaii hospitals as of 8:30 a.m. Friday, with 24 in intensive care units and 20 on ventilators.

Saturday’s seven-day average case count for Oahu is 124 and the seven-day average positivity rate is 4.4%, according to Honolulu Mayor Rick Blangiardi, who said Thursday Oahu will remain at Tier 2.

In order to move to the less-restrictive Tier 3 from the current Tier 2, the seven-day average of new cases must be below 50 on two consecutive Wednesdays and the seven-day average positivity rate must be below 2.5%.

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