CDC categorizes Hawaii County as a high-level community for COVID-19 risks

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention today moved Hawaii County from a yellow, medium-level community to an orange, high-level community for COVID-19 impacts.

Hawaii County now joins Kauai, Honolulu, and Maui counties, which are also categorized as orange, high-risk COVID communities.

All four major counties in the state are now considered high-risk COVID communities, based on CDC metrics that measure COVID hospital admission rates, percent of beds occupied by COVID patients, and new COVID cases per 100,000 people in the past seven days.

Under CDC guidelines, those living in high-level communities should wear a well-fitting mask in public indoor settings and on public transportation, regardless of vaccination status. Those in medium-level communities should consider masking based on personal risk.

People should also stay up to date with their COVID-19 vaccines and get tested if they have symptoms, and those who are immunocompromised or at high risk for severe disease should also consider avoiding non-essential indoor activities in public where they could be exposed.

Hawaii County, which reached the orange status for the first time since the metrics were established in March, has a new COVID admission per 100,000 rate of 15.9, a case rate of 398.5 per 100,000, and 8.9% of staffed inpatient beds used by patients with COVID, according to CDC.

On Wednesday, the Hawaii Department of Health reported a seven-day average of 117 new infections in Hawaii County, and an average positivity rate of 15.3%.

Kauai County last Thursday has also bumped up from a medium-level community to a high-level community again.