Hawaii is among the states where cases are growing fastest.
Hawaii health officials announced four deaths on Oahu and 132 new cases of COVID-19 on Friday, including 98 on Oahu, 19 on Maui, five on the Big Island, one on Kauai and nine residents diagnosed out of state.
The official state death toll from the virus is 332. Civil Beat calculates at least 338 people have died from the disease, including six deaths on Hawaii island confirmed by local authorities still pending medical verification by the state.
According to the data-modeling site Rt.live, Hawaii ranks among the highest in the nation for the rate at which new cases are growing, based on the average number of people who become infected by someone with the virus. That number is currently at 1.14.
Vaccination campaigns are underway. Of the 154,150 COVID-19 vaccine doses allocated to Hawaii, 75,095 have been administered as of Wednesday, according to the health department. Hawaii is currently in phase 1b of the vaccine rollout plan, which includes seniors 75 and older, first responders and other essential workers.
The state’s first mass vaccination center, managed by Hawaii Pacific Health, opened this week at the Honolulu Harbor Pier 2 cruise ship terminal for residents age 75 and over and first responders.
The Queen’s Health Systems is now scheduling appointments for patients 75 years and older starting Monday at the Neal S. Blaisdell Center.
Across the state, 2.4% of people tested during the past week have been confirmed to have COVID-19. On Oahu, that figure was 2.9%.
Approximately 100 people are hospitalized for COVID-19, with 23 people in intensive care units and 21 using ventilators for breathing support.
During the past month, cases among the 18-44 age cohort appear to be outpacing those among other age groups, according to data from the health department.
Those in the 18-44 year old age range are seeing the highest number of cases on average when compared to other age groups. A similar trend occurred in August during Hawaii’s last wave of infections.
Approximately 82% of the people who have died because of COVID-19 related issues in Hawaii were 60 or older.
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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