HAWAII VIRUS TRACKER — Dec. 27: 95 New COVID-19 Cases

The health department says four virus clusters have been traced to church gatherings in December.

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Health officials reported 95 new COVID-19 cases statewide on Sunday, including 72 on Oahu, 18 on Maui, three on the Big Island and one on Kauai. One Hawaii resident was diagnosed out of state.

On both Christmas Day and Saturday, officials reported 120 new cases. To date, 20,983 people in Hawaii have been diagnosed with COVID-19.

Nationwide, more than 19 million people have had the coronavirus and roughly 0.1% of the country — one out of every 1,000 people — has died from it in the last year.

Reporting Lag

Civil Beat’s virus tracker is updated when the state releases its daily numbers. The state posts new data daily at noon. The daily reports reflect laboratory results collected up until 11:59 p.m. two days prior, leaving a 36-hour lag between when results are submitted to the Department of Health and when the state reports them publicly.

There have been four virus clusters connected to church activities in December. Two of the clusters are still being investigated by the state’s contact tracers and have been linked to at least 50 cases.

In one of the clusters, members of the congregation got together at least four times between Dec. 4 and Dec. 11 for a prayer gathering, two celebrations and a choir practice, according to the health department. The church, which the department is not identifying publicly, required masks at the gatherings but people removed their masks to eat and drink.

Roughly 15% of cases diagnosed in December were associated with travel, with the bulk of cases in Hawaii being spread in the community.

The official state death toll from the virus is 285. Civil Beat calculates at least 290 people have died from the disease in Hawaii, including five deaths on Hawaii island that are still pending medical verification by the state.

For more information, check this Hawaii Department of Health COVID-19 site or this state site, and the Hawaii Data Collaborative COVID-19 Tracking site. The Hawaii Emergency Management Agency also provides this comprehensive dashboard.

Cases, Deaths And COVID-19 Testing In Hawaii

20,983
COVID-19 Cases
290
Deaths
798,302
Tests performed

Honolulu’s 7-Day Averages

Tier 2
Current Tier*
79
Daily Case Count
3.2%
Test Positivity
Source: The City and County of Honolulu
* The current case numbers and test positivity rate may not correlate with the metrics set for a specific tier as the county must spend at least four consecutive weeks in a tier and meet the metrics for the next tier before advancing, according to the reopening plan. More information of the City and County of Honolulu’s reopening strategy as well as details of the restrictions of Tier 1, Tier 2, Tier 3 and Tier 4 can be found at oneoahu.org

Hawaii COVID-19 Cases By County

Daily New COVID-19 Cases

Number Of Confirmed COVID-19 Cases In U.S.

COVID-19 Cases Worldwide

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