Help is on the way, according to health officials, as a growing number of patients with COVID-19 continue to fill hospital beds amid a staffing shortage crisis driven by the omicron surge. Read more
Question: Why can the state of Hawaii require trans-Pacific cruise ship passengers to be vaccinated or test negative for COVID-19 to disembark in Hawaii, but can’t apply the same requirement to trans-Pacific domestic air passengers? Domestic air passengers have the option to quarantine for five days upon arrival (arriving unvaccinated and untested). Cruise passengers don’t have that option (they must be vaccinated or test negative). Why are the rules different? Read more
The declaration for the Punchbowl hospital comes two days after an identical notice was issued for QMC-West. Read more
Question: In his recent “Spotlight Hawaii” interview with the Honolulu Star-Advertiser, Board of Water Supply Manager Ernest Lau noted that residents may be asked to implement water conservation measures this summer. Read more
Adult residents ages 18 and up who completed their initial two doses of Moderna can now get a booster one month sooner. Read more
Question: A friend had a sore throat and took a rapid test at home. It was positive. She isolated herself and had mild symptoms, so she didn’t believe she needed to go in for a PCR test since she already knew she was infected. Are the state and Department of Health aware there are hundreds of people doing at-home tests and not bothering to report it to anyone? What is the official advice to these people who test positive, so we can have a more accurate idea of the number of COVID-19 infections around us? Read more
The Queen’s Health Systems on Monday once again declared an “internal state of emergency” for its West Oahu hospital as the rate of admissions there outpaced the number of available beds amid Hawaii’s omicron surge. Read more
Private insurers will have to cover the cost of eight at-home coronavirus tests per member per month starting Saturday, the Biden administration said Monday. Read more
Symptomatic patients may walk in to get tested for free without an appointment but should bring an ID and insurance card. Read more
The burst of misinformation threatens to further stymie public efforts to keep the health crisis under control. Read more
While many companies instituted more robust sick leave policies at the beginning of the pandemic, some of those have since been scaled back with the rollout of the vaccines. Read more
The Queen’s Health Systems said today it will continue to offer extended hours at its COVID-19 vaccination clinic at Blaisdell Center. Read more
Question: Are quarantine and isolation the same thing? Read more
Despite a record number of COVID-19 infections in Hawaii last week and a stern warning by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention against cruise ship travel, the state will welcome back its first cruise ship in nearly two years with today’s arrival of the Grand Princess. Read more
Nationally, an uptick in children under the age of 18 being hospitalized, particularly those under age 5, has prompted growing concern. The highly contagious variant also has spread through the isles, but officials say the trend has not been seen to a great extent here yet. Read more
The study, which has not yet been peer-reviewed, focused on 30 people infected with the virus at five workplaces that experienced what were most likely outbreaks of the omicron variant in December. Read more
This year’s tax filing season is likely to be another challenging one because of pandemic-related tax changes. But the first step for many taxpayers is simple: Check the mail. Read more
The time varies for when someone with any of the illnesses will start feeling sick. Read more
Question: Will the state notify me of my total unemployment benefits for tax purposes? Does it depend on what type of program I was on? I was unemployed for only about two months last year, and I am unclear on the procedures. Read more
The number of coronavirus cases in Hawaii shot up to yet another single-day record high of 4,789 Thursday, the highest since the pandemic began, and more than twice the number on Tuesday. Read more
DOH says only the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine is authorized and recommended for children aged 5-11, which has been available since November. Read more
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