78
JAMM AQUINO / MARCH 17
People wearing masks walk near the Pier 2 on March 17 in Honolulu.
Hawaii Department of Health officials reported 51 new confirmed and probable coronavirus infections today, bringing the state’s total since the start of the pandemic to 37,647 cases.
No new virus-related fatalities were reported today so the statewide COVID-19 death toll remains 516.
The state’s official coronavirus-related death toll includes 399 fatalities on Oahu, 57 on Maui, 55 on Hawaii island, two on Kauai and three Hawaii residents who died outside the state.
The U.S. coronavirus-related death toll today is nearly 604,000 and the nationwide infection tally is more than 33.6 million.
Today’s new confirmed and probable infection count by island includes 23 new cases on Oahu, seven on Maui, 13 on Hawaii island, three on Kauai and five Hawaii residents diagnosed outside the state.
State health officials began including probable infections in its total case counts last month. Probable infections include people who never received a confirmatory test but are believed to have had the virus because of their known exposure and symptoms or because of a positive antigen test.
The total number of confirmed and probable coronavirus cases by island since the start of the outbreak are 27,808 on Oahu, 4,682 on Maui, 3,251 in Hawaii County, 361 on Kauai, 115 on Lanai and 80 on Molokai. There are also 1,350 Hawaii residents who were diagnosed outside of the state.
Today’s probable infections since the start of the pandemic added to the counts today include 818 on Maui, 777 on Oahu, 68 on Hawaii island, 24 on Molokai, three on Kauai, three on Lanai and 54 residents diagnosed outside the state.
The statistics released today reflect the new infection cases reported to the department on Friday.
>> RELATED STORY: More COVID-19 cases reported as Hawaii aims for 60% full vaccination rate
Health officials also said today that, of the state’s total infection count, 579 cases were considered to be active. Officials say they consider infections reported in the past 14 days to be a “proxy number for active cases.” The state’s total number of active cases increased by 17 today.
By island, Oahu has 338 active cases, the Big Island has 117, Maui has 91 and Kauai has 33.
Health officials counted 6,821 new COVID-19 test results in today’s tally, for a 0.75% statewide positivity rate. The state’s 7-day average positivity rate is 1.4%, according to the Hawaii COVID-19 Data dashboard.
The latest Hawaii COVID-19 vaccine summary says 1,665,945 vaccine doses have been administered through state and federal distribution programs as of Thursday, up 3,973 from a day earlier. Health officials say that 57% of the state’s population is now fully vaccinated, and 62% have received at least one dose.
Of all the confirmed Hawaii infection cases, 2,459 have required hospitalizations, with four new hospitalizations reported today.
Ten hospitalizations in the overall statewide count are Hawaii residents who were diagnosed and treated outside the state. Of the 2,449 hospitalizations within the state, 2,021 have been on Oahu, 277 on Maui, 135 on the Big Island, 10 on Kauai, five on Lanai and one on Molokai.
According to the latest information from the department’s Hawaii COVID-19 Data dashboard, a total of 35 patients with the virus were in Hawaii hospitals as of Friday, with eight in intensive care units and three on ventilators.
Oahu this month moved into the less-restrictive Tier 4 of the city’s four-tier economic recovery plan. The change allows social gatherings of up to 25 people at outdoor venues, including at parks and beaches, but the group size for indoor social gatherings remains at 10 people.
The seven-day average case count for Oahu is 25 and the seven-day average positivity rate is 1.5%, state health officials said today.
This breaking news story will be updated as more information becomes available.
By participating in online discussions you acknowledge that you have agreed to the Terms of Service. An insightful discussion of ideas and viewpoints is encouraged, but comments must be civil and in good taste, with no personal attacks. If your comments are inappropriate, you may be banned from posting. Report comments if you believe they do not follow our guidelines.
Having trouble with comments? Learn more here.