City launches funeral assistance program for COFA families
The City and County of Honolulu on Tuesday launched a program to help the Micronesian community with funeral expenses due to COVID-19. Read more
Coronavirus Outbreak
Conflicting COVID guidance sparks insurer, doctor confusion
Insurers will wait to make coverage decisions until after ACIP makes a recommendation at its upcoming meeting scheduled for June 25-27, according to Robert Popovian, founder of healthcare consultancy Conquest Advisors. Read more
FDA’s new COVID vaccine rules worry Hawaii health professionals
The new FDA rules say vaccines will be approved without the lengthy trials for people over the age of 65 or who have conditions that leave them more vulnerable to severe illness, including obesity, diabetes and heart disease. Read more
Green testifies in defense of COVID vaccines in D.C.
Gov. Josh Green on Wednesday defended COVID-19 vaccines before a U.S. Senate subcommittee in Washington, D.C., saying they saved countless lives during the pandemic. Read more
FDA poised to restrict access to COVID vaccines
New doses offer “uncertain” benefit to many Americans younger than 65 who have previously been vaccinated or have had COVID, wrote Dr. Vinay Prasad, the FDA’s vaccine division chief, and Dr. Martin Makary, the agency’s commissioner. Read more
FDA approves Novavax COVID vaccine with new conditions
The vaccine’s prospects were thrown into doubt after the FDA missed its April 1 target to approve the shot, which is a more traditional protein-based vaccine unlike its messenger RNA-based rivals. U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., a long-time vaccine skeptic, also raised concerns about the efficacy of the shot in a CBS interview. Read more
Judge blocks Trump from cutting COVID school aid to Hawaii, 15 other states
U.S. District Judge Edgardo Ramos’ preliminary injunction prevents Education Secretary Linda McMahon from rescinding the aid during the course of the lawsuit. Read more
CDC advisers discuss narrowing use of COVID-19 booster shots
COVID is still a leading cause of death among both adults and children. Read more
HHS scraps studies of vaccines, treatments for future pandemics
The government’s rationale is that the COVID pandemic has ended, which “provides cause to terminate COVID-related grant funds,” according to an internal National Institutes of Health document viewed by The New York Times. Read more
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Pandemic in Hawaii’s rearview mirror, but COVID ‘still with us’
More than five years since COVID-19 was declared a pandemic, throwing Hawaii and the world into chaos, memories of the traumatic events for many have become a blur in the rearview mirror. Read more
Hawaii’s economic growth has been stunted since recovering from pandemic
The local economy, by its broadest measure encompassing the value of all goods and services adjusted for inflation, totally rebounded from the pandemic-triggered downturn in the fourth quarter of 2023. Read more
How COVID-19 changed travel
If the sudden arrival of COVID-19 jolted your travel plans five years ago, you are not alone. Read more
COVID changes still disrupt lives across Hawaii
Those suffering from long COVID are still battling the lingering effects of the virus, while those who lost friends or family members to the disease continue to mourn. Read more
Kauai county reaches COVID hazard pay settlement with police union
The agreement between the county and the State of Hawaii Organization of Police Officers, or SHOPO, covers officers who worked from March 4, 2020, through March 25, 2022. Read more
UH students on the hook for $42M in COVID hazard pay to employees
University of Hawaii regent Neil Abercrombie is pressing for answers on how much UH employees would receive in back pay for putting themselves at risk while working during the COVID-19 era. Read more
Kapaa woman faces charges for allegedly stealing COVID rent relief
A 46-year-old Kauai woman faces federal charges after she was indicted for allegedly taking more than $126,026 in relief funds intended for people struggling to pay rent during the pandemic. Read more
Rolovich loses lawsuit against Washington State over firing
Judge Thomas O. Rice of the Eastern District of Washington handed down a summary judgment on Monday. Read more
Hawaii residents getting COVID vaccines are now the minority
The days when people lined up for the COVID-19 vaccine are now a distant memory. Read more
Experts warn Trump’s health picks lack pandemic experience
“If the worst-case scenario happens and we have a serious public health crisis, the body count is going to be enormous because these guys don’t have the skills or the will to do anything about it,” said John P. Moore, a virus expert and professor at Cornell University’s Weill Cornell Medical College. Read more
An Idaho health department is barred from offering COVID shots
The ban will make it harder for some people to access COVID vaccines in the six-county region in southwestern Idaho, which include Adams, Canyon, Owyhee, Gem, Washington and Payette counties and covers over 300,000 residents. Read more
Hawaii Health Department recommends updated COVID, flu, RSV vaccines
DOH recommends the 2024-2025 flu and COVID-19 vaccines for all persons 6 months of age and older, and the respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) shot for newborns and infants, pregnant persons, adults over 75 and those ages 60 to 74 with certain chronic medical conditions. Read more
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