Hawaii Daily COVID-19 Update: Friday, May 1, 2020

Hawaii Daily COVID-19 coronavirus reports and statistics from government departments as of Friday, May 1, 2020 in the Aloha State.

Department of Health:

Only One New COVID-19 Case Reported

The single case of coronavirus being reported by DOH is an O‘ahu adult and brings the total positive case count in Hawai‘i to 619. The City and County of Honolulu has 400 of the cases reported since Feb. 28^th.

Hawai‘i COVID-19 Counts as of 12:00 noon, May 1, 2020

** Refers to positive cases that have an unknown county of diagnosis at the time of this report. As more information becomes available for these cases, they are assigned to the proper County of Diagnosis. A negative number indicates the number of previously unknown cases that have now been assigned to a county.

Laboratory* Testing Data

*Electronic Laboratory Reporting       **21 test results were inconclusive.

For more tables please visit: https://health.hawaii.gov/docd/

DOH Distributes COVID-19 Rapid Test Equipment

The DOH State Laboratories Division (SLD) has distributed a total of 12 Abbott ID NOW COVID-19 rapid test instruments to all counties. The rapid coronavirus tests can produce results within 15 minutes when conducted in a certified laboratory. “Having this capability to test a critically ill patient within 15 minutes is a great tool in the fight against COVID-19,” said Dr. Edward Desmond, State Laboratories Division Administrator. “It helps us detect the virus quickly and respond much faster to help the patient and inform staff to ensure safety measures are in place.” Six instruments have been sent to county medical systems (two each to DOH District Health Office laboratories on Kaua‘i, Maui and Hawai‘i) and six instruments to clinical laboratories and health systems on O‘ahu (two each to Diagnostic Laboratory Services, Clinical Laboratories of Hawaii, and Kaiser Permanente).

The Abbott instruments were provided at no cost to the state with federal funding from the International Reagent Resource (IRR). Emergency Use Authorization from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) specifies that use of the rapid testing equipment be conducted on symptomatic patients. Requesting physicians will utilize the test kits based on priority symptoms and factors. Watch calibration of a rapid test instrument at SLD: https://vimeo.com/414129299

Read more here: https://hawaiicovid19.com/hawaii-department-of-health-distributes-covid-19-rapid-test-equipment-and-supplies-to-public-health-and-clinical-laboratories-in-all-counties/

Department of the Attorney General:

Newlyweds Arrested for Quarantine Violation

A California couple allegedly scoffed at Hawai‘i’s mandatory traveler self-quarantine mandate and were arrested yesterday by special agents from the Dept. of the Attorney General.

20-year-old Borice Leouskiy and 26-year-old Yuliia Andreichenko of Citrus Heights, CA, came to Hawai‘i on their honeymoon and entered a Waikiki-area hotel after 10 p.m. on Wednesday.  Both were raised in the Ukraine and Andreichenko is a Ukranian National, while Leouskiy is a U.S. citizen. A front desk manager read them the requirements of the self-quarantine order. They reportedly said this contradicted what airport screeners told them. They also indicated they planned to visit friends and go to parks and beaches. The hotel manager reiterated the rules and said the couple scoffed at him and then left the hotel.

After midnight, they returned with a pizza and told the manager they were allowed to be outside and to buy food. They checked in and refused to sign the required quarantine acknowledgement. Yesterday morning, the hotel’s general manager was informed Leouskiy and Andreichenko had again left their room. When they came back, they were told again, they were in violation and again said their activities were permitted. AG Special Investigators were notified and arrested the couple. They are being charged under Hawai‘i Revised Statutes for unsworn falsification to authority and violation of the 14-day quarantine.

Attorney General Clare Connors noted, “We appreciate the vigilance and cooperation of the hotel staff, and staff at other hotels, in helping maintain the health and safety of visitors and residents. It is important that everyone flying into Hawai‘i at this time, abide by our mandatory rules. Law enforcement, in partnership with other state and county agencies and the travel industry are continuing to monitor compliance with the mandatory self-quarantine rule.”

https://governor.hawaii.gov/newsroom/latest-news/hawaii-covid-19-joint-information-center-news-release-newlyweds-arrested-for-quarantine-violation-may-1-2020/

Hawai‘i Tourism Authority:

640 Passengers Arrive in Hawai‘i Thursday

Yesterday a total of 640 people arrived in Hawai‘i including 166 visitors and 196 residents. There was a total of 14 arriving flights. Yesterday marked five weeks since the state’s mandatory 14-day self-quarantine started for all passengers arriving in Hawai‘i from out of state. This table shows the number of people who arrived by air from out of state yesterday, the next table shows interisland travel. Visitors are people who do not have a Hawai‘i ID including essential health care workers, essential federal workers, former residents such as mainland college students coming to stay with family, military on temporary assignment, and leisure travelers.

AIRPORT ARRIVALS FOR WEDNESDAY, APRIL 30 2020

https://www.hawaiitourismauthority.org/media/4549/050120-passenger-count-press-release.pdf

Department of Business, Economic Development and Tourism

INTERISLAND AIRPORT ARRIVALS AND DEPARTURES FOR APRIL 28, 2020

https://dbedt.hawaii.gov/economic/covid19/

Department of Labor and Industrial Relations:

State Pays Out $87,521,534 in Unemployment Insurance Benefits

DLIR announced Friday that it distributed $87,521,534 in unemployment insurance benefits over the past week. $47,317,800 of that total represents the $600 bonus that was made available by the CARES act that was signed into law on March 27, 2020. DLIR Director Scott Murakami said, “The department was again able to deliver a record level of benefits in a week and for that I am tremendously grateful for our workers. We know that there are still many in our community who are suffering, and we are resolute in providing a greater level of relief as soon as possible.”

https://labor.hawaii.gov/blog/news/state-pays-out-87521534-in-unemployment-insurance-benefits/

Department of Public Safety:

Jail Population Report Update

From March 2 to May 1 there has been an 810-person decrease in the jail population across the state. These reductions are due to the huge, up-front diversion efforts made by county police departments, PSD’s Intake Services Center Division, and the State Judiciary.

Inmate Testing

Currently there are no confirmed cases of COVID-19 in the prisons or jails. Testing report:

http://dps.hawaii.gov/blog/2020/03/17/coronavirus-covid-19-information-and-resources/

Purchase of PPE and Inmate Mask Sewing Program

PSD keeps a regular supply of personal protective equipment (PPE) for normal circumstances, but like all health care workers and first responders across the country, supply on hand was quickly depleting. To get ahead of the need, PSD submitted a large order for extra PPE which was received last week and distributed to correctional facilities across the state.

Inmates in the sewing program at the Waiawa Correctional Facility on O‘ahu, the Kulani Correctional Facility, and the Hawai‘i Community Correctional Center are producing as many as 4,400 cloth barrier masks a day. Masks made on Hawai‘i Island will be shipped to the Hawai‘i Correctional Industries (HCI) O‘ahu office for distribution, thanks to support by Aloha Air Cargo. HCI has also delivered 6,021 cloth masks to other state and federal agencies and are continuing to fill orders for over 50,000 masks. The orders are expected to be completed by the end of May. HCI will expand orders from the public early next week. HCI can be reached at 808-677-6638 or by email at [email protected]

https://dps.hawaii.gov/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/RELEASE-PSD-COVID-19-updates-5.1.20.pdf

Department of Land and Natural Resources

COVID-19 Silver Lining-Construction Moved up on Royal Hawaiian Groin Replacement

The existing Royal Hawaiian groin was installed 93-years ago and for decades it protected one of the most popular stretches of beach in Waikīkī. The virtual shut-down of Hawai‘i’s visitor industry during the COVID-19 crisis is providing a rare silver-lining. Next week, the DLNR Office of Conservation and Coastal Lands (OCCL), in partnership with the Waikīkī Beach Special Improvement Association (WBSIDA), is kicking off work on a modern replacement groin, with construction work made much easier and safer without hundreds of visitors on the beach. The construction of the 160-foot-long replacement groin was originally set to begin this fall but was moved up to next Monday when a contractor will begin staging needed equipment and supplies on the beach. Learn more: https://dlnr.hawaii.gov/blog/2020/05/01/nr20-053/

Yesterday’s Hawaii Daily COVID-19 Update.