Health officials urge masking, boosters as COVID-19 cases surge in Hawaii

The Hawaii Division of Well being is urging all eligible to get vaccinations and boosters because the variety of new COVID-19 infections in Hawaii continues to surge.

On Wednesday the DOH reported the state’s seven-­day common for brand spanking new circumstances had climbed to 925 — up from 722 on Might 11, and marking the eighth consecutive weekly enhance.

The state’s common positivity fee, in the meantime, jumped to 16.9%, up from 14.3% final week. It was the ninth week in a row that the DOH has recorded a rise within the positivity fee. In Kauai County, now a high-risk neighborhood, the typical positivity fee rose to 23%.

“I’d say we’re completely in a surge,” stated Tim Brown, an epidemiologist on the East-West Heart in Manoa. “It’s a nationwide surge. The issue is it’s an invisible surge as a result of the case reporting has been damaged.”

If the actual day by day common is 5 to 6 occasions larger than detected, as estimated by DOH Director Dr. Libby Char, he stated, “we’re principally on the January peak, and nonetheless rising.”

Federal well being officers Wednesday stated about one-third of the U.S. inhabitants — principally within the Northeast and Midwest — now lives in a high-risk space with rising coronavirus circumstances and hospitalizations, and may think about masking indoors.

Honolulu Mayor Rick Blangiardi is encouraging Oahu residents to voluntarily put on a masks round others in public, each indoors and open air.

“I feel the very best factor you’ll be able to presumably do at this level — given the infectious nature, the pervasive nature of omicron — is to put on a masks,” stated Blangiardi on the Honolulu Star-Advertiser’s “Highlight Hawaii” webcast Wednesday morning. Within the curiosity of safeguarding public well being, he stated, “Do the whole lot you’ll be able to, and … should you haven’t been boosted and also you’re eligible to do this, please do this.”

He added, “I can actually let you know from first-hand expertise having gotten COVID that I felt the complete drive area, if you’ll, of getting the vaccinations. I feel I may have been lots sicker and I simply wasn’t, and I used to be actually grateful for that.”

Blangiardi stated it was too quickly to say whether or not he would mandate masks for Oahu, however that it remained a chance. Later within the day, nonetheless, he issued a press release on Twitter noting that his administration is “not contemplating reinstatement of any coronavirus restrictions right now, together with masks mandates.”

Vaccinations gradual

Since February, the general tempo of vaccination charges in Hawaii has slowed. As of Wednesday, an estimated 77.5% of the state’s inhabitants had accomplished their main collection of COVID-19 vaccinations, with about 40% boosted.

Greater than 319,000 Hawaii residents stay unvaccinated.

A brand new nationwide examine discovered that roughly one-third of the 1 million lives misplaced to COVID-19 may have been saved with vaccines.

Researchers from the Brown College College of Public Well being, together with Brigham and Ladies’s Hospital and others, analyzed Facilities for Illness Management and Prevention and New York Occasions knowledge and located practically 319,000 deaths from COVID-19 had been preventable between January 2021 and April of this yr if each eligible grownup had been vaccinated.

Probably the most lives that might have been saved had been in West Virginia, Wyoming and Tennessee, the place vaccination charges had been significantly low. Areas reminiscent of Washington, D.C., Massachusetts, Puerto Rico, Vermont and Hawaii, the place vaccination charges had been larger, confirmed the bottom counts of vaccine-preventable deaths.

Nonetheless, in Hawaii’s case, 734 lives may have been saved if 100% of the state had been vaccinated throughout that timeframe. Even when simply 85% of the state had been vaccinated, 312 lives may have been saved, in response to the evaluation.

“At a time when many within the U.S. have given up on vaccinations, these numbers are a stark reminder of the effectiveness of vaccines in combating this pandemic,” stated co-author Stefanie Friedhoff, an affiliate professor at Brown, in a press release. “We should proceed to spend money on getting extra Individuals vaccinated and boosted to save lots of extra lives.”

Whereas nearly all of kupuna in Hawaii have been vaccinated and boosted, few have gone again to get a second booster.

For these ages 65 to 74, 78% have been boosted as soon as, whereas 20% have been boosted twice. For these ages 75 and older, 81% have been boosted, whereas 24% have been boosted twice.

These further boosters are vital resulting from waning immunity, stated Brown of the East-West Heart, significantly with the rising fee of breakthrough circumstances among the many aged and susceptible.

A Kaiser Household Basis evaluation present in February that almost all of grownup deaths, 60%, had been nonetheless among the many unvaccinated, whereas 25% had been vaccinated with simply the first collection. However a rising proportion — 15% of grownup deaths in February — had been amongst these vaccinated and boosted in comparison with lower than 5% again in November.

“I actually want that our well being care suppliers could be reaching out, particularly to the aged that they’re serving,” Brown stated. “They actually ought to be reaching out to folks, and inspiring them to come back in and get boosted.”

On the opposite finish of the spectrum, solely 38% of keiki ages 5-11 in Hawaii have been absolutely vaccinated towards COVID.

Vaccines for kids ages 5-11 have been obtainable since late final yr, and the U.S. Meals and Drug Administration earlier this week approved boosters for the age group, which awaits CDC approval. FDA approval of COVID vaccines for kids beneath age 5 remains to be pending.

Free COVID-19 vaccinations are nonetheless obtainable at most neighborhood well being facilities in Hawaii in addition to at pop-up vaccine clinics.

Kaiser Permanente continues to host neighborhood vaccination occasions all through Oahu, and will likely be providing one from 10 a.m. to midday Sunday on the Mililani YMCA. All are welcome, Kaiser stated, together with these with out insurance coverage.

Hospitals stretched

Hospitalizations, in the meantime, proceed to rise, with the state dashboard reporting 126 sufferers with COVID-19 in hospitals Wednesday — up from 91 final week. Of the 126, 5 had been in intensive care and three on ventilators.

The variety of sufferers with COVID-19 an infection in Hawaii hospitals surpassed 100 on Saturday, with 102, in response to the Healthcare Affiliation of Hawaii. It elevated to 119 on Sunday, after which to 130 on Tuesday earlier than falling again to 126 on Wednesday.

“We’re presently seeing an increase in COVID hospitalizations, which serves as a reminder that we’re in yet one more surge of this pandemic,” stated Jason Chang, The Queen’s Well being System chief working officer, in a press release. “This implies we have to concentrate on ensuring everyone seems to be absolutely vaccinated and boosted, and guaranteeing we’re following fundamental an infection prevention measures reminiscent of sporting a masks, staying house once we are sick, and being cautious when attending massive gatherings.”

Chang added, “This surge is impacting many people in the neighborhood and all of us have to do our half in ensuring we’re caring for one another.”

Daniel Ross, president of the Hawaii Nurses Affiliation, stated hospitals are stretched skinny once more resulting from ongoing staffing shortages. Just like the earlier omicron wave, many nurses are out as a result of they or a member of their family have been contaminated with COVID-19, he stated.

“Day-after-day, nearly each unit is brief, and it’s not simply nurses,” he stated. “It’s secretaries, nurses’ aides, kitchen assist and housekeeping. It’s only a scarcity of employees.”

Nationally, there are actually a median of over 99,000 new circumstances a day, in response to the CDC Information Tracker, with circumstances rising in practically each state.

The BA.2.12.1 variant — confirmed to be current in Hawaii — now accounts for at the very least 48% of recent circumstances within the U.S.

On Wednesday, the DOH additionally reported 7,149 new circumstances over the earlier week, bringing the overall for the reason that begin of the pandemic to 265,571 circumstances in Hawaii.

By island, there have been 4,922 new infections reported on Oahu, 850 on Hawaii island, 746 on Maui, 460 on Kauai, 26 on Molokai and 18 on Lanai. A further 127 infections had been reported out of state. There have been additionally 12 extra deaths reported Wednesday, bringing the overall to 1,446.