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All four major Hawaii counties now ranked as green, low-level communities for COVID-19

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The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has categorized all four major counties in Hawaii as green, low-level communities for COVID-19.

Honolulu and Maui counties today were moved from yellow, medium-level communities to green, joining Kauai and Hawaii counties which were already green.

Under CDC guidelines, those living in low-level communities — and all levels — should stay up to date on COVID-19 vaccines, including recommended booster doses, and get tested if one has symptoms.

At all community levels, including green, CDC says those who have symptoms, a positive test, or exposure to someone with COVID should wear a mask.

At yellow, medium-level communities, those at high risk should wear a high-quality mask when in public indoors, and in orange, high-level communities, people should wear a high-quality mask in public indoors.

The metrics used to determine community levels are based on a combination of coronavirus case rates per 100,000 people, new COVID admission rates at hospitals, and percent of hospital beds occupied by COVID patients.

In Honolulu, case rates per 100,000 dropped to 95.32, while new COVID admissions per 100,000 fell to 9.5 and only 3.6% of staffed hospital beds were being used by patients with COVID.

During the height of the omicron surge in May, all four counties had at one time or another been classified as high-level, orange communities.

CDC updates community levels for counties on Thursdays.

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