Honolulu Star-Advertiser

Thursday, November 21, 2024 80° Today's Paper


Top News

Hawaii sees 135 new coronavirus cases, bringing statewide total to 87,345

CINDY ELLEN RUSSELL / NOV. 19
                                Travelers check into the mauka concourse in Terminal 1 of Daniel K. Inouye International Airport. A new COVID-19 variant has been detected in South Africa, prompting the White House to report the U.S. will restrict travel from South Africa and seven other countries in the region beginning Monday. President Joe Biden said that means “no travel” to or from the designated countries except for returning U.S. citizens and permanent residents who test negative.

CINDY ELLEN RUSSELL / NOV. 19

Travelers check into the mauka concourse in Terminal 1 of Daniel K. Inouye International Airport. A new COVID-19 variant has been detected in South Africa, prompting the White House to report the U.S. will restrict travel from South Africa and seven other countries in the region beginning Monday. President Joe Biden said that means “no travel” to or from the designated countries except for returning U.S. citizens and permanent residents who test negative.

Hawaii Department of Health officials reported 135 new confirmed and probable coronavirus infections today, bringing the state’s total since the start of the pandemic to 87,345 cases.

No new virus-related fatalities were reported today so the statewide COVID-19 death toll remains 1,015.

The state’s official coronavirus-related death toll includes 756 fatalities on Oahu, 136 on Hawaii island, 98 on Maui, 13 on Kauai, one on Molokai, and 11 Hawaii residents who died outside the state.

The U.S. coronavirus-related death toll today is over 776,000 and the nationwide infection tally is more than 48 million.

>> RELATED: Hawaii retailers optimistic that eased COVID restrictions will help holiday sales

Today’s new confirmed and probable infection count by island includes 60 new cases on Oahu, 23 on Hawaii island, 22 on Maui, 27 on Kauai, and three Hawaii residents diagnosed outside the state.

State health officials have been including probable infections in its total case counts. 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 59,397 on Oahu, 11,678 on Hawaii island, 9,939 on Maui, 3,061 on Kauai, 246 on Molokai, and 145 on Lanai. There are also 2,879 Hawaii residents who were diagnosed outside of the state.

Health officials also said today that, of the state’s total infection count, 1,359 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 41.

By island, Oahu has 724 active cases, the Big Island has 245, Kauai has 183, Maui has 205, and Molokai has two.

The state’s 7-day average positivity rate is 1.4%, according to the Hawaii COVID-19 Data dashboard.

The seven-day average case count for Oahu is 36 and the seven-day average positivity rate is 1.1%, state health officials said today.

The latest Hawaii COVID-19 vaccine summary says 2,333,865 vaccine doses have been administered through state and federal distribution programs as of Thursday, up 5,211 from a day earlier. Health officials say that 72.5% of the state’s population is now fully vaccinated, and 85.4% have received at least one dose. Due to technical issues, state health officials reported the vaccination data won’t be updated until Monday.

Of all the confirmed Hawaii infection cases, 5,018 have required hospitalizations, with three new hospitalizations reported today.

Thirty hospitalizations in the overall statewide count are Hawaii residents who were diagnosed and treated outside the state. Of the 4,988 hospitalizations within the state, 3,859 have been on Oahu, 602 on Maui, 425 on the Big Island, 89 on Kauai, eight on Molokai, and five on Lanai.

According to the latest information from the department’s Hawaii COVID-19 Data dashboard, a total of 37 patients with the virus were in Hawaii hospitals as of Friday, with nine in intensive care units and seven on ventilators.


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.