U.S. to limit asylum at Mexico border as COVID-19 restrictions end

• By Maria Verza, Colleen Long and Morgan Lee / Associated Press
• May 10, 2023

The rule announced today is part of new measures meant to crack down on illegal border crossings while creating new legal pathways. Read more

Hawaii reports 685 new COVID-19 cases, 4 more deaths

• By Nina Wu
• May 10, 2023

The state’s seven-day average of new COVID-19 cases, meanwhile, was at 105 a day, down from 107 as reported on May 3. Read more

Hawaii COVID-19 exposure notification app to shut down

• By Nina Wu
• May 9, 2023

The app will no longer be available on May 11, coinciding with the end of the federal COVID-19 public health emergency declaration. Read more

COVID-19 vaccine maker Novavax to chop workforce, expenses

• By Associated Press
• May 9, 2023

The company said today that it expects to trim next year’s costs for research and development as well as selling, general and administrative expenses by about 40% to 50% compared to 2022. Read more

HMSA employees say executive compensation came as a shock

• By Sophie Cocke
• May 7, 2023

Some employees say they received just 1% annual raises for two or three years in a row, which was particularly hard in 2022 as inflation soared. Read more

CDC’s Rochelle Walensky resigns, citing pandemic transition

• By Associated Press
• May 5, 2023

Walensky’s last day will be June 30, CDC officials said, and an interim director wasn’t immediately named. Read more

WHO downgrades COVID pandemic, says it’s no longer emergency

• By Maria Cheng and Jamey Keaten / Associated Press
• May 5, 2023

The announcement offers a coda to a pandemic that stirred fear and suspicion, hand-wringing and finger-pointing across the globe. Read more

COVID dropped to 4th leading cause of death in U.S. last year

• By Associated Press
• May 4, 2023

U.S. deaths usually rise year-to-year, in part because the nation’s population has been growing. The pandemic accelerated that trend, making 2021 the deadliest in U.S. history. Read more

Hawaii food insecurity persists post COVID-19

• By Mark Ladao
• May 4, 2023

Even as Hawaii distances itself from the harshest effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, anti-hunger advocates say that elevated food insecurity among residents has not only persisted but is growing. Read more

Column: Attracting Japanese visitors to Hawaii, version 2.0

• By Ray K. Tsuchiyama
• May 4, 2023

2019 — the year before the COVID global travel halt — was the banner year for Japanese visitors to Hawaii: nearly 2 million. Read more

Mexico develops own COVID-19 vaccine, 2 years late

• By Associated Press
• May 3, 2023

It was unclear what use would be made of the vaccine, named “Patria” or “Motherland,” developed in a joint effort between the government and a Mexican company, Avimex. Read more

Hawaii reports 787 new COVID-19 cases, 8 more deaths

• By Nina Wu
• May 3, 2023

The state’s seven-day average of new COVID-19 cases, meanwhile, declined to 107 a day, down from 114 a day reported on April 26. Read more

Djokovic can return to U.S. Open as vaccine mandate ends

• By Associated Press
• May 2, 2023

The U.S. Open, the season’s final Grand Slam tournament, begins in New York in August. Read more

U.S. to lift most federal COVID-19 vaccine mandates next week

• By Zeke Miller / AP White House Correspondent
• May 1, 2023

The requirements are among the last vestiges of some of the more coercive measures taken by the federal government to promote vaccination as the deadly virus raged. Read more

Chinese man who reported COVID to be released after 3 years

• By Kanis Leung and Huizhong Wu / Associated Press
• April 30, 2023

Fang Bin and other members of the public who were dubbed citizen journalists posted details of the pandemic in early 2020 on the internet and social media, embarrassing Chinese officials who faced criticism for failing to control the outbreak. Read more

HMSA execs saw big pandemic pay raises as workers lost their jobs

• By Sophie Cocke
• April 30, 2023

The pay upgrades for top officials came at the same time HMSA was eliminating and outsourcing the jobs of nearly 200 of its employees. Read more

Kokua Line: Was playground for disabled children ever built?

• By Christine Donnelly
• April 30, 2023

Question: Was the inclusive playground described at paanikakou.org/ ever built next to the Hawaii Children’s Discovery Center in Kakaako Waterfront Park? If yes, when was it completed? If no, do you know whether/when it will be built? Read more

Homeless man accused of $737K fraud in COVID-19 relief funds

• By Peter Boylan
• April 29, 2023

Jeremy Koski, 44, of Hawaii and Washington, is facing charges of wire fraud and money laundering after he received loans authorized by Congress in the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act. Read more