Honolulu Star-Advertiser

Friday, November 22, 2024 81° Today's Paper


Top News

Hawaii records 1 new coronavirus-related death, 56 additional infections

Hawaii Department of Health officials today reported one new coronavirus-related death and 56 new confirmed and probable infections statewide, bringing the state’s totals since the start of the pandemic to 517 fatalities and 37,758 cases.

The person who died was a male Oahu resident between the ages of 50 and 59, and had been hospitalized with underlying conditions, according to the DOH.

The state’s official coronavirus-related death toll now includes 400 fatalities on Oahu, 57 on Maui, 55 on Hawaii island, two on Kauai and three Hawaii residents who died outside the state.

The U.S. coronavirus-related death toll today is over 604,000 and the nationwide infection tally is more than 33.6 million.

Today’s new confirmed and probable infection count by island includes 34 new cases on Oahu, four on Maui, nine on Hawaii island and nine Hawaii residents diagnosed outside the state.

State health officials began including probable infections in its total case counts last month. Probable infections include people who never received a confirmatory test but are believed to have had the virus because of their known exposure and symptoms or because of a positive antigen test.

The total number of confirmed and probable coronavirus cases by island since the start of the outbreak are 27,874 on Oahu, 4,696 on Maui, 3,265 in Hawaii County, 361 on Kauai, 115 on Lanai and 80 on Molokai. There are also 1,367 Hawaii residents who were diagnosed outside of the state.

Today’s probable infections since the start of the pandemic added to the counts today include 820 on Maui, 778 on Oahu, 70 on Hawaii island, 24 on Molokai, three on Kauai, three on Lanai and 55 residents diagnosed outside the state.

The statistics released today reflect the new infection cases reported to the department on Monday.

>> RELATED STORY: Hawaii to offer cash prizes, extend COVID vaccination campaign into August

Health officials also said today that, of the state’s total infection count, 569 cases were considered to be active. Officials say they consider infections reported in the past 14 days to be a “proxy number for active cases.” The state’s total number of active cases increased today by 18.

By island, Oahu has 348 active cases, the Big Island has 115, Maui has 83 and Kauai has 23.

Health officials counted 3,438 new COVID-19 test results in today’s tally, for a 1.63% statewide positivity rate. The state’s 7-day average positivity rate is 1.5%, according to the Hawaii COVID-19 Data dashboard.

The latest Hawaii COVID-19 vaccine summary says 1,682,432 vaccine doses have been administered through state and federal distribution programs as of Monday, up 3,747 from a day earlier. Health officials say that 57.9% of the state’s population is now fully vaccinated, and 62.5% have received at least one dose.

Of all the confirmed Hawaii infection cases, 2,470 have required hospitalizations, with five new hospitalizations reported today.

Twelve hospitalizations in the overall statewide count are Hawaii residents who were diagnosed and treated outside the state. Of the 2,458 hospitalizations within the state, 2,027 have been on Oahu, 280 on Maui, 135 on the Big Island, 10 on Kauai, five on Lanai and one on Molokai.

According to the latest information from the department’s Hawaii COVID-19 Data dashboard, a total of 40 patients with the virus were in Hawaii hospitals as of Tuesday, with eight in intensive care units and four on ventilators.

Oahu this month moved into the less-restrictive Tier 4 of the city’s four-tier economic recovery plan. The change allows social gatherings of up to 25 people at outdoor venues, including at parks and beaches, but the group size for indoor social gatherings remains at 10 people.

The seven-day average case count for Oahu is 27 and the seven-day average positivity rate is 1.5%, state health officials said today.


This breaking news story will be updated as more information becomes available.


By participating in online discussions you acknowledge that you have agreed to the Terms of Service. An insightful discussion of ideas and viewpoints is encouraged, but comments must be civil and in good taste, with no personal attacks. If your comments are inappropriate, you may be banned from posting. Report comments if you believe they do not follow our guidelines. Having trouble with comments? Learn more here.