There was a time when the news of more than 1,000 new COVID-19 infections in Hawaii would have caused a panic, in fear of overflowing hospital emergency rooms, serious illnesses and deaths. These risks have fallen, but they have not been eliminated — even as expectations of preventing the coronavirus from gaining a foothold in the population are now long gone.
Hawaii’s hopes are now pegged on preventing severe illness and protecting the most vulnerable.
A new booster shot is now available that will help achieve those hopes, by better protecting people from the currently dominant variant of COVID-19, omicron. All those eligible for this bivalent booster — those over 12 years old — should seek one out at the earliest opportunity.
On Wednesday, the Hawaii Department of Health (DOH) reported 1,215 new COVID-19 infections over the past week. At this point, that is considered good news, continuing a pattern of a descending number of new infections. The total number of COVID-19 cases reported in the islands since the start of the pandemic has reached 340,729, though actual numbers may be substantially higher because of cases that go unreported.
The omicron variant of COVID-19 is much more infectious, though apparently less deadly, than earlier variants of the virus, and is now the dominant form of the disease in Hawaii. These updated boosters have been composed to protect specifically against omicron.
The new boosters started rolling out in Hawaii this week, via vaccine providers, community centers and designated pharmacies. The latest information about vaccine and booster options, including a provider list, is available at hawaiicovid19.com/vaccine.
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and DOH recommend the Pfizer-BioNTech bivalent booster for ages 12 and older; Moderna’s bivalent booster is recommended for adults age 18 and older. They can be obtained if it has been at least two months since one’s most recent vaccination.
Pfizer’s monovalent boosters continue to be recommended for children ages 5 through 11. And in Hawaii, everyone 6 months old and older is eligible for free COVID-19 vaccination, regardless of their health insurance status.
Many who are eligible for boosters have still not pursued one, sometimes because they feel the base vaccination should be enough, or because they are skeptical of gaining extra protection from a booster shot. These decisions, however, are not based on the best evidence. CDC Director Rochelle Walensky said Tuesday that as many as 100,000 COVID-19 hospitalizations and 9,000 deaths could be prevented by widespread use of the updated booster.
Health experts predict we will live with COVID-19 for the foreseeable future. That is exactly why boosters are advisable. Take the advice of those who have contracted omicron — it’s not something you want to experience. And if you have been exposed to COVID-19, the data shows that hybrid immunity, resulting from both vaccination and infection, is more protective and longer-lasting than either alone.
This is also a way to protect ourselves against long COVID, which is not completely understood, and to tamp down the level of a next wave of infections. By getting your bivalent booster, you are not only protecting yourself, but those around you.
Experts also warn that while the latest dominant variant of COVID-19 has caused less serious illness — partly thanks to vaccines and new drug treatments — that is no guarantee that future variants won’t be more harmful. That is why both federal and state authorities must prioritize monitoring and reporting case levels, using tools such as wastewater testing and coordinating with health-care providers.