Hawaii records no new coronavirus cases for 3rd straight day
![CINDY ELLEN RUSSELL / CRUSSELL@STARADVERTISER.COM
A mask-wearing pedestrian walks past the shuttered entrance of the Hilton Garden Inn along Kuhio Avenue in Waikiki on Monday. Hawaiis low COVID-19 infection rate has led state and county leaders to ease restrictions and gradually start reopening the economy.](https://staradvertiser.wpenginepowered.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/web1_20200526_WEB_WAIKIKI-FILE-.jpg)
CINDY ELLEN RUSSELL / CRUSSELL@STARADVERTISER.COM
A mask-wearing pedestrian walks past the shuttered entrance of the Hilton Garden Inn along Kuhio Avenue in Waikiki on Monday. Hawaii’s low COVID-19 infection rate has led state and county leaders to ease restrictions and gradually start reopening the economy.
Hawaii health officials reported no new coronavirus cases in the islands today as the statewide infection count remains at 643, the third straight day that the state had no increase.
So far in May, the state Department of Health has reported seven days with no increase in the daily count. Hawaii has seen a total of 35 new confirmed cases this month and the department’s daily count of new infections has not been in double digits since April 18 when officials reported 22 new cases.
Kauai has not seen a new case in more than six weeks and Oahu has not had a new case in six days.
The state’s low infection rate and lowest-in-the-nation mortality rate has led state and county leaders to ease restrictions and gradually start reopening the economy. However hundreds of thousands of Hawaii workers remain unemployed or working reduced hours.
As of today, 33 infections in Hawaii are active cases with a total of 593 patients now classified by health officials as “released from isolation” since the start of the outbreak. One new release case on Maui was reported today. The category counts those infected people who have met the criteria for being released from isolation.
More than 92% of the Hawaii people who have been infected are now classified as released from isolation.
By county, Honolulu has seen 389 patients released from isolation (or 94%), Maui has had 106 cases (90%) released, and the Big Island has 79 (97%). Kauai has no known active confirmed coronavirus cases.
The state’s coronavirus death toll remains unchanged at 17. Eleven of the deaths have been on Oahu and six on Maui.
Of all the confirmed Hawaii cases since the start of the outbreak, 83 have required hospitalizations, with no new hospitalizations reported today, health officials said.
One hospitalization in the statewide count is a Hawaii resident who was diagnosed and treated outside the state, officials said. Of the 83 hospitalizations in the state, 58 have been on Oahu, 22 on Maui, and one each on the Big Island and Kauai.
Today’s statewide coronavirus cases total includes 414 on Oahu, 118 in Maui County, 81 on Hawaii island, and 20 in Kauai County, according to health officials. The total also includes 10 Hawaii residents diagnosed outside of the state.
Of the more than 45,228 coronavirus tests conducted so far by state and clinical laboratories in Hawaii, just 1.4% have been positive. Health officials counted 705 new test results in today’s tally.