Question: Do I have to come to Oahu for the monkeypox vaccine?
Answer: No. Vaccination scheduling information for all islands is available on the state Department of Health’s website, at health.hawaii.gov/docd/mpxvax. Eligible residents of Kauai, Maui and Hawaii counties may schedule monkeypox vaccine appointments over the phone by filling out an online form at that site and waiting for a call back. Eligible Oahu residents may schedule their own appointment online through the same website; the appointments are for vaccination clinics to be held at Blaisdell Center on Sunday and Aug. 20.
Monkeypox vaccination is limited to Hawaii residents 18 and older who meet at least one of the following criteria and are therefore at higher risk of contracting the disease:
>> Anyone who had direct contact with a person with a monkeypox infection in the past 14 days.
>> “Certain gay, bisexual, or other men who have sex with men, or transgender people, who have had any of the following within the past 14 days: sex with multiple partners (or group sex); sex at a commercial sex venue; or sex in association with an event, venue, or defined geographic area where monkeypox transmission is occurring.”
Demand is expected to outpace Hawaii’s “extremely limited supply” of the two-dose JYNNEOS monkeypox vaccine, the Health Department said, which is why it is scheduling only first doses for now. If additional doses become available, the department said it could contact people to receive a second dose.
Q: How long does the road test take? I guess I am going to try to schedule during my lunch hour because they don’t give them on Saturdays.
A: “Plan for up to one hour for the road test, safety and sanitation measures, document review, vehicle inspection and processing. Arrive early and check in. Do not be late for your appointment. If you are late, you will need to reschedule the test,” Honolulu County’s Department of Customer Services says on its website.
As you know, Oahu road tests are by appointment only, Mondays through Fridays, 8 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., except on state holidays. Go to honoluluroadtest.org for more information and for the link to make an appointment. Appointments tend to fill up about four months in advance.
On a related note, starting Sept. 1 the department will further restrict no-show applicants, who won’t be able to schedule another road test for 60 days after the one they skipped; they’ll also forfeit their $8 deposit. About 200 appointment slots a week go unused because the applicant failed to show up, the department said in a news release. In May, no-shows were restricted from making another appointment for 14 days, but that had little effect, so the 60-day ban is needed, it said.
Auwe
Auwe! The Korean and Vietnam War Memorials on the state Capitol grounds are in disgraceful condition. I walked by Wednesday and was taken aback by the lack of respect shown in the care and maintenance of the memorials. The area smells like feces and urine. They have let the landscaping die. There is garbage all over the place. Stones have fallen out of the wall. Graffiti has been painted on the wall. How can we get the state to do its job and take excellent care of this site? — Oren S.
Mahalo
Mahalo to the Navy’s Blue Angels for putting on such a spectacular practice show over Kaneohe today! It was awesome to see such an amazing performance. Thank you for bringing your performance to Hawaii! — Laurie I.
(Editor’s note: The Blue Angels are scheduled to perform at the Kaneohe Bay Air Show this weekend. For more information, see kbayair show.com or blueangels.navy.mil.)
Write to Kokua Line at Honolulu Star-Advertiser, 500 Ala Moana Blvd., Suite 7-500, Honolulu, HI 96813; call 808-529-4773; or email kokualine@staradvertiser.com.
