The state Department of Health once again urged all eligible residents to get boosted against COVID-19 as the number of new cases leaped to 1,511 Thursday, reflecting a steep climb in the weeks leading up to Christmas.

During the summer delta surge, the highest daily count was 1,678 on Aug. 29, but that figure included a reporting backlog.

DOH also reported three new coronavirus-related deaths, two on Hawaii island and one on Kauai. Since the start of the pandemic, Hawaii has seen 1,077 coronavirus- related deaths and 96,765 cases.

New infections are expected to continue rising in the weeks ahead as the omicron variant — observed to double about every two to three days — takes hold in the islands.

“I think this surge started out with delta, and I think now there’s a lot of omicron that’s laid on top of that,” said Health Director Dr. Elizabeth Char at a virtual news conference. “Going forward, we’re going to see omicron, and that’s why we’re so concerned. Up to now there’s been a fair amount of delta, and omicron is just going to take off and push delta off to the side. We’re going to see the numbers rise.”

Char said omicron will become the predominant variant in the state within a couple of weeks.

At the same time, Hawaii’s booster rate, at 23.4% of the total population as of Thursday, is woefully lagging.

Boosters, a third dose for most in addition to the initial vaccine series, are an important line of defense against omicron.

“Go get your booster shot; go get it right now,” Char said. “Don’t wait.”

The effectiveness of the initial doses has waned, she said, but a third boosts neutralizing antibodies to help prevent infections. This, in turn, will help prevent spread of the coronavirus and spare Hawaii’s hospitals from a surge in COVID-19 patients.

DOH is finding that more people with only two doses of the Pfizer or Moderna vaccines are getting infected with the coronavirus, she said, particularly with omicron because of its immune- evading mutations.

Hawaii’s seven-day average of new cases reached 888 Thursday, a 704% increase from two weeks ago. The average positivity rate statewide also jumped, to 8.1% Thursday, up from 3.1% a week ago.

“This omicron is spreading really, really quickly, so it’s imperative that we protect ourselves as best we can,” Char said. “Don’t get infected in the first place.”

Char also warned against buying into the “false narrative” that omicron will have a lesser impact on Hawaii’s hospitals and health care system due to possibly milder symptoms.

The sheer number of people who end up infected with omicron means more of the sick will end up in hospitals, based on simple math, she said. For example, if the virus infects 100 and 10% end up in hospitals, then that would be 10 patients. But if the virus infects 1,000 and only 2% end up in hospitals, that’s 20 people, or twice as many.

“If you have a tremendous number of people getting infected, a certain percentage is going to end up in the hospital,” she said. “Even though it may not be the same percentage as with delta, if you have a huge population, even a small percent of a huge population is going to be a huge number.”

Hospitalizations are also ticking up, with 73 COVID-19 patients in hospital rooms Thursday, up from 60 on Tuesday. Twelve of the patients are in intensive care and eight on ventilators.

“We know our hospital rates are going up,” Char said. “People have other health issues, so we will see people who will get severely ill and very sadly we will see people die from this. I think it’s really sad when the message is, ‘Oh, it’s omicron, you don’t have to worry about it.’ It may not be real severe in you, but what if you infected your grandma, or what if you infected my grandma?”

Although a number of studies from other countries show omicron may be less virulent, Char said more data is needed and that their population characteristics might differ from Hawaii’s.

Health officials also urged residents to keep holiday gatherings small in the face of the omicron surge and to celebrate safely by masking indoors and maintaining distance. Ideally, gatherings should be limited to household members or fully vaccinated and boosted individuals.

With nearly 8,000 active COVID- 19 cases in the islands, large gatherings, particularly those in poorly ventilated indoor spaces without consistent masking, are high-risk.

“From a public-health standpoint, it just does not make sense to have large gatherings right now,” Char said. “People should restrict large gatherings and high-risk environments — indoors where crowds of people are taking off masks to eat or drink.”

Officials also emphasized the importance of staying home when sick, even with mild, coldlike symptoms. Anyone with symptoms should get tested and isolate immediately if testing positive.

At a news conference Thursday, Honolulu Mayor Rick Blangiardi said he would not shut down any large gatherings or implement new restrictions.

“We really cannot get out in front of this disease by simply locking down or shutting down the city,” he said.

Rather than impose government restrictions, Blangiardi said it was time for people to take personal responsibility for their own actions.

“We think the time has come now where people need to make those decisions for themselves,” he said. “So it’s personal decision- making, personal responsibility.”

The Safe Access O‘ahu program, which requires proof of a two-dose vaccination or negative COVID-19 test within 48 hours to enter bars, restaurants and other establishments, will remain in place.

Oahu had the lion’s share of Thursday’s new coronavirus cases, with 1,293, while there were 66 on Hawaii island, 98 on Maui, 29 on Kauai, three on Lanai and 22 Hawaii residents diagnosed outside the state.

The seven-day average of daily cases on Oahu rose to 806 — 1,059% higher than 14 days ago — and the average positivity rate to 10.4%, higher than the statewide average and any other county in Hawaii.

While the majority of Oahu’s population has been vaccinated with two doses, Blangiardi, too, urged all eligible to get their third shots.

The city is offering county employees an incentive to do so — a day off from work — ideally by the end of March.

Health officials also identified recent COVID-19 clusters reported within the past 14 days at public venues.

Among them were Dec. 10 and 11 events at The District and The Republik nightclubs, along with the AFHA annual holiday event Dec. 11 at the Hilton Hawaiian Village.

All people who attended those events should get tested for the coronavirus.

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COVID-19 Booster INFORMATION

A booster is recommended for these groups:

>> Those ages 16-17 who completed their initial series of Pfizer vaccine at least six months ago

>> Those 18 years and older who completed their initial series of Pfizer or Mo­derna vaccine at least six months ago

>> Those who received a single dose of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine at least two months ago

>> Find a vaccination site near you at hawaiicovid19.com/vaccine-info.

Source: State Department of Health