Institute for Human Services worker, 36, dies of COVID-19, Hawaii Emergency Management Agency says
CRAIG T. KOJIMA/ CKOJIMA@STARADVERTISER.COM
Oahu parks are closed due to recent restrictions that went into effect this week. A sign declares Ala Moana Beach Park as closed on Friday.
JAMM AQUINO / MAY 2
A COVID-19 testing specimen is secured during a drive-thru COVID-19 testing by Kalihi Kai Urgent Care at Ala Moana Center. Testing will be available on Oahu this weekend in Kakaako, Ewa Beach and Wahiawa.
Hawaii Department of Health officials reported a new COVID-19 death today and 284 new coronavirus cases, bringing the statewide totals to 47 fatalities and 6,356 infections since the pandemic first reached the islands in late February.
A 36-year-old man, who worked at the Institute for Human Services, has died from COVID-19, Hawaii Emergency Management Agency announced in a tweet this afternoon. Health officials previously reported a cluster of 20 cases in connection with an IHS men’s shelter in Iwilei.
A 36-year-old IHS frontline worker has passed away from COVID-19.
Please continue safety precautions.
Wear masks over both mouth and nose. Wash hands for 20 seconds. Physical distance at least 6 feet. Avoid gatherings.
HPD Enforcement: 808-723-3900
hpdcovidenforce@honolulu.gov— Hawaii EMA (@Hawaii_EMA) August 23, 2020
“Our hearts go out to his family,” Lt. Gov. Josh Green said today in his Instagram video update. No further details were immediately available.
The latest fatality is the seventh reported this week. A total of 38 deaths have been on Oahu and seven on Maui, while one was a Kauai resident who died on the mainland. The U.S. death toll is over 176,000 today.
Today’s new COVID-19 cases include 259 on Oahu, 15 on Hawaii island and 10 in Maui County, according to the state Department of Health’s noon tally.
The statewide coronavirus case totals by county include 5,806 on Oahu, 279 on Maui County, 192 on Hawaii island, and 56 in Kauai County, according to health officials. The total also includes 23 Hawaii residents diagnosed outside of the state.
As of today, 4,202 infections in Hawaii are considered active cases, with a total of 2,107 patients now classified by health officials as “released from isolation,” or about 33% of those infected. The category counts those infected people who have met the criteria for being released from isolation. Thirty-five new release cases were reported today.
Of all the confirmed Hawaii cases, 377 have required hospitalizations, with 40 new hospitalizations reported today, health officials said.
Green said today that there are 192 people currently hospitalized with COVID-19, including 35 patients in intensive care units and 19 on ventilators. He said 49% of the state’s 244 ICU beds and 12% of the 459 ventilators are now in use, by both coronavirus and non-virus patients.
Two hospitalizations in the statewide count are Hawaii residents who were diagnosed and treated outside the state. Of the 375 hospitalizations within the state, 332 have been on Oahu, 35 on Maui, seven on Hawaii island, and one on Kauai.
Officials counted 2,634 new tests in today’s tally, with today’s 284 positive cases representing 10.7% of the total tested. Of the 176,184 coronavirus tests conducted so far by state and clinical laboratories in Hawaii since the start of the outbreak, a total of 3.6% have been positive.
By county, Honolulu has seen 1,748 patients released from isolation, and Maui has had 168 patients released. Hawaii County has 52 active infections, while Kauai has five, according to Health Department figures.
Hawaii’s daily new-case count hit triple digits for the first time in late July, and has remained there for most of August, with the vast majority of confirmed infections on Oahu. On Aug. 13, the state’s daily new-case count reached a record 355.
>> RELATED: Confused about the latest Oahu COVID-19 orders? What you can and cannot do under the new rules
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This breaking news story will be updated.
