Hawaii Health Department reports 6 new coronavirus-related deaths, 5,768 new infections

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Kaiser Permanente registered nurse Sean Masaki prepared a COVID-19 booster shot, Jan. 20, during a vaccination and testing clinic. The Hawaii Department of Health today reported 5,768 new COVID-19 infections over the previous week, bringing the total since the start of the pandemic to 258,422 cases.

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Kaiser Permanente registered nurse Sean Masaki prepared a COVID-19 booster shot, Jan. 20, during a vaccination and testing clinic. The Hawaii Department of Health today reported 5,768 new COVID-19 infections over the previous week, bringing the total since the start of the pandemic to 258,422 cases.

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The Hawaii Department of Health today reported 5,768 new COVID-19 infections over the previous week, bringing the total since the start of the pandemic to 258,422 cases.

DOH also reported six more deaths, bringing the state’s COVID death toll to 1,434.

The state’s 7-day average of new cases today was reported at 722 compared to 485 on May 4, representing the seventh consecutive, weekly increase.

The state’s average positivity rate, meanwhile, jumped to 14.3%, up from 11.5% last week. It is the eighth week in a row that DOH has recorded an increase in the positivity rate. On Kauai County, the average positivity rate is at 20.3%.

By island, there were 3,851 new infections reported on Oahu, 718 on Hawaii island, 616 on Maui, 391 on Kauai, 40 on Molokai and 33 on Lanai. Another 119 infections were reported out of state.

DOH has said the COVID case counts are an underestimate of total infections since many people are now using home test kits not officially counted. But the upward trend indicates transmission levels in Hawaii are not only rising, but increasing at a more accelerated pace than previous weeks.

Hospitalizations are also on the rise, with the Hawaii Emergency Management Agency reporting 91 patients with COVID-19 in hospitals today, up from 66 last week. Of those 91, eight are in intensive care units and four are on ventilators.

“Hospitalizations continue to rise and ICU admissions are also now beginning to increase,” said State Epidemiologist Dr. Sarah Kemble during a Zoom media conference today. “So I think this is a really important juncture. We talked before about watching these numbers and that case counts alone don’t tell the whole story, but we are now seeing the repercussions for severe disease and accumulating cases in our hospitals.”

Kemble said now is the time to exercise caution, and to practice layered mitigations like masking in indoor spaces, staying home when sick and avoiding crowds. Requiring masks indoors at work and school make good sense when community transmission is high, she said. Staying up-to-date on COVID-19 vaccines is also crucial.