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Hawaii records 2 new coronavirus-related deaths, 395 additional infections

Hawaii Department of Health officials today reported two new coronavirus-related deaths and 395 new confirmed and probable infections statewide, bringing the state’s totals since the start of the pandemic to 1,065 fatalities and 90,270 cases.

Both of the latest deaths were on Oahu. No further information was immediately available regarding the latest deaths.

Today’s count of new confirmed and probable infections statewide, however, includes about 130 cases not previously reported because a testing provider “experienced an interruption with the electronic laboratory reporting system,” according to DOH spokesman Brooks Baehr. The backlogged cases are from specimens analyzed between Nov. 28 and Dec. 13.

The state’s official coronavirus-related death toll includes 792 fatalities on Oahu, 146 on Hawaii island, 102 on Maui, 13 on Kauai, one on Molokai and 11 Hawaii residents who died outside the state.

The U.S. coronavirus-related death toll today is over 800,000 and the nationwide infection tally is more than 50.2 million.

Today’s new confirmed and probable infection count by island includes 295 new cases on Oahu, 55 on Hawaii island, 26 on Maui, seven on Kauai, one on Molokai and 11 Hawaii residents diagnosed outside the state.

State health officials have been including probable infections in its total case counts. 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 61,337 on Oahu, 11,952 on Hawaii island, 10,244 on Maui, 3,305 on Kauai, 258 on Molokai and 145 on Lanai. There are also 3,029 Hawaii residents who were diagnosed outside of the state.

Health officials also said today that, of the state’s total infection count, 2,169 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 today by 264.

By island, Oahu has 1,596 active cases, the Big Island has 196, Kauai has 151, Maui has 212 and Molokai has 14.

Health officials counted 5,945 new COVID-19 test results in today’s tally, for a 6.64% statewide positivity rate. The state’s 7-day average positivity rate is 3.1%, according to the Hawaii COVID-19 Data dashboard.

The seven-day average case count for Oahu is 168 and the seven-day average positivity rate is 3.8%, state health officials said today.

The latest Hawaii COVID-19 vaccine summary says 2,447,238 vaccine doses have been administered through state and federal distribution programs as of today, up 8,163 from a day earlier. Health officials say that 73.3% of the state’s population is now fully vaccinated, and 78.5% have received at least one dose.

Of all the confirmed Hawaii infection cases, 5,146 have required hospitalizations, with eight new hospitalizations reported today.

Thirty hospitalizations in the overall statewide count are Hawaii residents who were diagnosed and treated outside the state. Of the 5,116 hospitalizations within the state, 3,932 have been on Oahu, 615 on Maui, 452 on the Big Island, 102 on Kauai, 10 on Molokai and five on Lanai.

According to the latest information from the department’s Hawaii COVID-19 Data dashboard, a total of 40 patients with the virus were in Hawaii hospitals as of today, with nine in intensive care units and five on ventilators.


This breaking news story will be updated as more information becomes available.


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