Both deaths were on Oahu.
Health officials reported 144 new COVID-19 cases statewide on Thursday, including 118 on Oahu, 14 on Maui, seven on the Big Island, two on Kauai and three residents diagnosed out-of-state.
Two fatalities were reported on Oahu.
The state’s official death toll is 246. Civil Beat calculates at least 261 people have died from the disease in Hawaii, including 15 deaths on Hawaii island that are pending medical verification by the state. The Hawaii County Civil Defense has recorded 49 deaths on the Big Island.
The cases announced Thursday reflect laboratory tests electronically reported to the Department of Health through Monday at 11:59 p.m.
Health officials have documented 1,288 new cases during the last two weeks. More than 200 of those cases are associated with two jail clusters.
In the last two weeks, 22 people at the Oahu Community Correctional Center and 112 people at the Waiawa Correctional Facility have tested positive for COVID-19, according to Emily Roberson, the DOH Disease Investigation Branch chief.
Other recent case clusters have occurred among coffee shop employees, restaurant coworkers, and a bar patron and bartender. On Oahu, DOH investigators are tracking four clusters in unspecified educational settings that have infected at least two dozen people within the span of two weeks.
According to Janice Okubo, spokeswoman for the Hawaii Department of Health, the COVID-19 case reports are based on test results from laboratories statewide and include test results from both residents and tourists tested within the state.
The results of Hawaii residents who test positive out of state also are included, as well as cases confirmed among military service members and their family, although military cases are not specifically indicated.
If a visitor takes a test outside of Hawaii, those test results are reported to their home state health authorities and would not be reflected in the Hawaii health department’s reports. In some cases, rapid point-of-care testing results are not submitted to the DOH and are not included in these daily reports either.
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.
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