Hawaii sees new single-day record of 1,828 COVID cases since start of pandemic

The number of new coronavirus cases in Hawaii shot up to 1,828 on Friday , a new single-day high since the start of the pandemic.

The latest total — more than double what it was a week ago — surpassed the previous record of 1,679 new infections on Aug. 29, which included a reporting backlog.

The seven-day average of new cases statewide also skyrocketed to a record high of 1,021, surpassing the daily average of 900 new cases during the peak of the delta surge in late August, according to state Department of Health data. Meanwhile, the average daily positivity rate rate climbed to 9%.

Officials counted 8,027 new COVID-19 test results in Friday’s tally, for a 22.77% statewide positivity rate.

“I don’t see it slowing down,” said Tim Brown, an infectious disease modeler at the East-West Center in Manoa. “It’s huge, and that’s a massive problem because we aren’t going to see the hospitalization impacts for another two to three weeks because it’s rising so rapidly. But when those impacts come, they’re going to come comparatively fast.”

Brown, who predicted Hawaii’s case numbers would surpass the delta peak, created a graph to compare the omicron and delta waves on Oahu. The omicron surge is much steeper — almost a vertical line upward.

“We are rising so much faster than the delta wave, it’s insane,” he said.

DOH also reported one new coronavirus-related death, on Hawaii island, bringing the state’s COVID- 19 death toll to 1,078.

On Friday morning a line of cars stretched down Pensacola Street as people waited to get COVID-19 testing at the Blaisdell Center parking lot.

Lt. Gov. Josh Green said 81 COVID-19 patients were hospitalized as of Friday, including 48 who were unvaccinated and 33 who had gotten two doses of the vaccine. That is double what he counted Dec. 17, when 41 COVID-19 patients were hospitalized, eight of them fully vaccinated.

Green, who gets reports directly from hospitals every morning, said that to his knowledge, so far there have been no patients with vaccine boosters hospitalized with COVID-19.

That is why getting more boosters into arms is so urgent, he said, and why he sent out a memo earlier this week recommending that Hawaii roll out mass emergency booster and testing sites in each county Thursday and Friday to help reduce hospitalizations. He also urged mandating that employees get time off from work to get booster shots.

While that did not happen, Green said he would like to see the sites rolled out by Thursday and Friday because timing is critical.

He also has asked hospital partners to set up tents and expand testing and boosting availability in the coming days and weeks.

The Queen’s Health Systems agreed to extend its clinic hours at Blaisdell to 8 p.m. on Monday, Wednesday and Thursday.

“In coming days the more testing and boosting we do, the better we can manage this surge,” Green said. “If we don’t get boosters into arms and don’t get case counts to come down, eventually the hospitalization numbers will go up and the mayors will be forced to ask for closures and restrictions again.”

Green said he is worried that a surge will hit hospitals by mid-January. Waiting until hospitalization numbers reach 150 to 200, the trigger point Honolulu Mayor Rick Blangiardi mentioned at a news conference Thursday, would be too late, he said.

“We’re hoping and praying omicron is less severe, but the numbers are already increasing,” Green said. “I think we will likely be having the same conversation on New Year’s Eve with 150 in the hospital and twice as many who have been vaccinated.”

To date, nearly 74% of Hawaii’s population has completed vaccinations, but only 23.7% has received third booster doses, which health officials consider an essential line of defense against the omicron variant due to the waning efficacy of the initial doses.

On Thursday, state Health Director Dr. Elizabeth Char urged all eligible residents to get their booster shots immediately and to avoid large gatherings over the holidays.

“From a public health standpoint it just does not make sense to have large gatherings right now,” she said. “We should restrict those high-risk environments — places where you’re indoors with crowds of people and people are taking off their masks to eat and drink. That’s just a horrible idea right now.”

Anyone with just two doses of COVID-19 vaccine without a booster is susceptible to getting infected, she said.

Although several studies indicate omicron might result in potentially fewer hospitalizations, the sheer volume of infections will result in higher numbers of COVID-19 patients in hospitals, she said.

Honolulu County had the lion’s share of coronavirus cases Friday, with 1,547, itself a record high. The county’s average number of cases grew 1,037% over the past 14 days to 914, and the average positivity rate was at 11.3%.

There were also 98 cases on Maui, 91 on Hawaii island, 67 on Kauai, five on Molokai and 20 Hawaii residents diagnosed out of state.

Brown said people need to take multiple layers of precautions to keep themselves safe.

This includes investing in N95 or KN95 masks or, if unable to find them, double masking with a surgical mask beneath a cloth one.

He named restaurants and church services as “dangerous” places to be right now.

“Anything that involves a group of people indoors who are not from the same household is a risk factor right now, and if you’re using poor-quality masks or wearing it incorrectly under your nose like so many people do … that basically puts everybody at risk,” Brown said.

For holiday get-togethers indoors, Brown recommended opening all doors and windows, with several fans going, and having everyone take a rapid test beforehand to confirm they are negative for COVID-19 just before entering.

Not stopping large gatherings or encouraging restaurants to reduce capacity is a “huge mistake” on the part of government leaders, he said.

In addition, the lack of available quarantine facilities will most affect underserved populations, including the Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander communities, which have been disproportionately affected by the pandemic.

“We are in a crisis situation right now,” Brown said. “(Leaders) need to be doing their jobs regardless of the holidays. Otherwise, we will not control this situation, and our hospitals will be overwhelmed and we can’t afford that.”

Daniel Ross, president of the Hawaii Nurses Association, which represents about 4,000 members, said they are praying for the best but preparing for the worst.

While hospitalizations have not surged yet, he is concerned about reaching that breaking point again.

A growing number of nurses are getting infected with COVID-19 or exposed to it, leading to required quarantine periods, putting them out of service.

“All of our facilities are having issues with staffing,” he said. “The larger ones are offering monetary incentives for picking up extra shifts. They’re obviously encouraging people to take precautions and avoid exposure.”

At the same time, nurses are burned out, and many have retired or left the profession after almost two years of dealing with the pandemic, he said.