Gov. David Ige, health officials officials give coronavirus updates
Six people in Hawaii suspected of having the coronavirus have all tested negative, though state officials are on high alert for the first signs of the deadly disease in the islands.
Three tested negative today — individuals under investigation on Oahu, Maui and the Big Island — while three others were previously cleared of the virus.
“There is no confirmed case of COVID-19,” Gov. David Ige said at a news conference this afternoon.
However, Ige noted, “We are seeing a slight increase in people that are sick.”
Ige and Health Director Bruce Anderson held a news conference today at the State Laboratories Division in Pearl City to provide updates on the coronavirus and explain the laboratory testing process. The State Laboratory began testing for COVID-19 just a few days ago, after delays in getting working testing kits from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Meanwhile, state officials are looking for facilities on all islands to quarantine people in Hawaii who contract the virus that has rapidly spread across the globe, sickening more than 93,000 people and killing more than 3,200. One such facility is Leahi Hospital in Kaimuki and potentially Wahiawa General Hospital, both of which are underutilized.
Watch the video below for the full news conference.