Hawaii coronavirus cases rise by 5 to 618
BRUCE ASATO / APRIL 9
Nurse Chris Tomlinson prepares to perform a nasal swab on a motorist during a drive-thru testing for COVID-19 at the Waianae Boat Harbor earlier this month. Of the 30,296 coronavirus tests conducted by state and clinical laboratories so far in the islands, just 2% have been positive, state officials said today.
Hawaii’s tally of coronavirus cases has risen to 618, up five from Wednesday, the state Department of Health announced today.
Of all the confirmed Hawaii cases since the start of the outbreak, 70 have required hospitalizations, with one new case reported today — a Hawaii resident who was diagnosed and hospitalized outside of the state, health officials said.
The state’s coronavirus death toll stands at 16, unchanged from Wednesday. Eleven of the deaths were on Oahu and five on Maui.
Today’s statewide total includes 399 cases on Oahu, 116 in Maui County, 73 on Hawaii island, and 21 in Kauai County, according to health officials. Three of the new cases were on the Big Island and one on Maui.
The statewide total also includes nine Hawaii residents diagnosed outside of the state, one more than Wednesday.
Of today’s five new cases, four are adults and one is a minor, health officials said.
A total 526 patients have recovered since the start of the outbreak, with health officials reporting 1o new recoveries today. More than 85% of the people who have been infected in Hawaii are now classified as released from isolation by the state Health Department.
By county, Honolulu has seen 364 patients (or 91%) recover, Maui has had 84 recoveries (72%), the Big Island has had 58 (79%), and Kauai has seen 20 (95%), as of noon today, the Health Department said.
Of the 69 hospitalizations within the state, 53 have been on Oahu, 14 on Maui, and one each on the Big Island and Kauai. Both Kauai and Hawaii county officials have said that their island’s hospitalized patients have both been released.
The state Joint COVID-19 Information Center said that of the 30,396 coronavirus tests conducted so far by state and clinical laboratories in the islands, 2% have been positive. The percentage of positive tests has dropped consistently over the past couple of weeks.
On Wednesday, Gov. David Ige announced that the state will slowly begin to reopen the economy in phases, starting Friday with a limited number of businesses suggested by the county mayors.
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