Hawaii’s daily average of COVID cases falls

Hawaii’s daily average of new COVID-19 cases fell into the two-digit range for the first time in nearly a year, according to the latest statistics from the state Health Department.

On Wednesday, the department reported the seven-day average of new COVID-19 cases fell to 89 compared with 100 on Feb. 8. The last time the average was in the two-digit range was in March 2022.

Testing for COVID-19 also has dropped considerably, and is likely to continue declining as public testing sites close down and people rely more on home COVID test kits, which are not reported to the state.

The state’s average positivity rate, meanwhile, fell to 4.7% compared with 5.0% the previous week, matching what it was at the start of the month.

Hospitalizations of COVID- 19 patients remained steady, with a seven-day average of 58 this week compared with 55 the previous week. There was an average of 10 new admissions per day, and five patients in intensive care per day.

But reported deaths from COVID-19 continue, with 17 more added this week, bringing the state’s coronavirus-related death toll since the start of the pandemic to 1,822.

The deaths included a range of ages — from a man in his 40s who died on Molokai to a man in his 80s who died on Oahu.

Two of the 17 deaths occurred on Molokai, five on Maui, eight on Oahu, and two on Hawaii island. Nine were hospitalized, meaning in an inpatient ward, emergency room or intensive care.

All were listed as having underlying conditions, with the exception of a woman in her 80s on Maui, whose underlying conditions were unknown.

The latest variant report from the Health Department, published Tuesday, shows that omicron subvariant XBB.1.5, nicknamed ‘the Kraken,’ is increasing while BQ.1 and BQ.1.1 are decreasing.

XBB.1.5 made up about 25%, while BQ.1.1 made up 39%, and BQ.1 made up 14% of variants circulating in the state for the two-week period ending Jan. 28.

Another omicron subvariant, CH.1.1, also known as “Orthrus,” is now listed, as well. It makes up about 5% of variants circulating in the state, and is present in all four major counties.

Epidemiologists and the World Health Organization are monitoring CH.1.1 due to a concerning mutation and its rise in some parts of the world.

The DOH Laboratories Division, which publishes the report, noted that smaller sample sizes are now available for sequencing due to the shift away from lab-based PCR testing to self- administered antigen testing using home test kits.

This means estimated variant proportions may not be truly representative, particularly for smaller counties such as Maui and Kauai.

COVID vaccination rates continue to wane, with under 3,000 doses administered over the past week.

To date, DOH data shows 78.6% of Hawaii’s total population has completed the primary series of COVID-19 vaccinations. A total of 284,525 residents, or 25.5% of the state’s eligible population, received the bivalent booster.