The delta variant composes 84% of Honolulu’s coronavirus cases and 85% in Hawaii County. The report found the variant made up a lower percentage of cases in Maui County and Kauai County, at 70% and 60% respectively.
The analysis emphasized vaccination is still a strong defense against new variants.
“It is important to note that evidence to date shows that vaccination leads to milder cases, not requiring hospitalization, for all the variants of concern and variants of interest that are described here, even if the efficacy of antibodies is diminished against some of these variants compared to the original version of the virus,” the report said.
State health officials said at a press conference Thursday that 95% of hospitalizations in Hawaii are among unvaccinated people.
Hawaii’s average daily case count has shot up to 436, a 193% increase between July 21 and Aug. 3.
The statewide positivity rate is 6.9%. Honolulu County’s test positivity rate is 7.3%, and Hawaii County’s is 8.3%.
Kauai County’s is much lower at 3.3%, while Maui County’s is 5.6%.
Thursday’s daily case count included 428 cases on Oahu, 131 in Hawaii County, 69 cases in Maui County and seven in Kauai County.
More than 60% of Hawaii’s population has been fully vaccinated against the virus, but the highly contagious delta variant has continued to drive cases, largely among the unvaccinated.
More than 67% of the state has initiated vaccinations. Gov. David Ige set a statewide vaccination of 70% as the benchmark for lifting coronavirus-related restrictions.
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