Hawaii Daily COVID-19 Update: Thursday, August 27, 2020

4 years ago4 years ago Linda Hohnholz - editor

Hawaii Daily COVID-19 update of coronavirus reports and statistics from government departments as of Thursday, August 27, 2020 in the Aloha State.

Department of Health:

Four Additional Deaths Reported and 306 New COVID-19 Cases

Three O‘ahu women and one (1) O‘ahu man, all who had been hospitalized with underlying medical conditions raise the coronavirus death toll in Hawai‘i to 55. Two of the women are in the 70 to 79-year-old age group and the other woman and the man are 80-years or older.

Today’s daily positivity rate for Hawaiʻi is 12% (306-cases divided by 2,478-tests). While the total number of cases reported today seems higher, the current percent of positive cases (6.8%) is approximately the same because cases are reporting earlier illness onsets and earlier specimen collection dates. To check the positivity rate over the past week:

https://health.hawaii.gov/coronavirusdisease2019/what-you-should-know/current-situation-in-hawaii/, select the Lab Testing chart.

Of the cases reported today, 277 are adults and 29 are minors.

A full breakdown of ages among total cases in Hawaiʻi is available at:

https://health.hawaii.gov/coronavirusdisease2019/what-you-should-know/current-situation-in-hawaii/, select the Age/Gender chart.

Currently, among all cases since March, the highest number of cases are among 18 to 29 year-olds and 30 to 39 year-olds. Pacific Islanders remain among the highest percentage of cases among ethnic groups. To view this data, select the race chart (link above). Case investigators continue to see COVID-19 clusters involving parties or gatherings in private homes (e.g., birthday parties, funerals, get-togethers, religious gatherings etc.). These gatherings have no masking and no distancing and mostly involve families and friends.

Hawai‘i COVID-19 Counts as of 12:00 noon, August 27, 2020

Island of Diagnosis	New Cases	Reported since 2/28/2020 (including new cases)
O‘ahu	289	6,915
Hawai‘i	10	253
Maui	7	315
Kaua‘i	0	56
Moloka‘i	0	3
Lana‘i	0	0
HI residents diagnosed outside of HI	0	24
Total Cases	306	7,566
Deaths	4	55

Hospitalization count as of 8/26/20 at 5:30 pm: 13-Hawai‘i,28-Maui, 245-O‘ahu, 0-Kaua‘i

Laboratory* Testing Data

There were 2,478 additional COVID-19 tests reported via electronic laboratory reporting.

Total Number of Individuals Tested by Clinical and State Laboratories	Positive	Negative
188,153**	7,566	180,561

*Electronic Laboratory Reporting **26 test results were inconclusive

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For more tables, charts and visualizations visit the DOH Disease Outbreak Control Division: https://health.hawaii.gov/coronavirusdisease2019/what-you-should-know/current-situation-in-hawaii

Hawai‘i Tourism Authority:

Hawai‘i Visitor Statistics Released for July 2020

In July 2020, visitor arrivals to the State decreased 97.7-percent compared to a year ago due to the COVID-19 pandemic, according to preliminary statistics released Thursday by HTA. A total of 22,562 visitors traveled to Hawai‘i by air service last month compared to 995,210 total visitors during the same period a year ago. All passengers arriving from out-of-state during July were required to abide by a mandatory 14-day self-quarantine.

https://www.hawaiitourismauthority.org/media/5151/july-2020-visitor-statistics-press-release-final.pdf

1,829 Passengers Arrive on Tuesday

On Monday, a total of 1,829 people arrived in Hawai‘i including 413 visitors and 677 returning residents. There was a total of 31 arriving flights. This table shows the number of people who arrived by air from out of state yesterday but does not show interisland travel.

AIRPORT ARRIVALS FOR TUESDAY, AUGUST 25, 2020

	KONA	MAUI	O‘AHU	LĪHUʻE	TOTAL
Crew	16	15	123		154
Transit		1	193		194
Military			89		89
Exempt			121		121
Relocate to Hawai‘i	14	7	160		181
Returning Resident	71	46	560		677
Visitor	36	20	357		413
GRAND TOTAL	137	89	1,603	0	1,829
Flights	3	2	26	0	31

https://www.hawaiitourismauthority.org/media/5102/082620-passenger-count-press-release.pdf

1,695 Passengers Arrive on Wednesday

Yesterday, a total of 1,695 people arrived in Hawai‘i including 397 visitors and 548 returning residents. There was a total of 32 arriving flights. This table shows the number of people who arrived by air from out of state yesterday but does not show interisland travel.

AIRPORT ARRIVALS FOR WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 26, 2020

	KONA	MAUI	O‘AHU	LĪHUʻE	TOTAL
Crew	11	14	140		165
Transit			217		217
Military			120		120
Exempt			142		142
Relocate to Hawai‘i		16	90		106
Returning Resident	32	45	471		548
Visitor	20	18	359		397
GRAND TOTAL	63	93	1,539	0	1,695
Flights	3	2	27	0	32

https://www.hawaiitourismauthority.org/media/5160/082720-passenger-count-press-release.pdf

Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs:

DCCA Employee at State Office Tower Tests Positive for COVID-19

DCCA announced Thursday that one of its employees has tested positive for COVID-19. The employee, who works at the Leiopapa A. Kamehameha building on South Beretania St. got their results back Wednesday night. The employee last worked in an 8^th floor office on Aug. 16. The employee did not exhibit any symptoms during the rest of the work week and only began to feel ill over the following weekend, prompting a test on Monday, Aug. 24. Upon knowledge of the positive test result last night, the Office of Consumer Protection in Honolulu notified staff not to report to the office today and closed for the health and safety of everyone.

The department is working with DAGS to make arrangements for professional cleaning to properly sanitize and disinfect affected areas. The office will remain closed tomorrow, Aug. 28, as a precaution. Staff will continue to telework and respond to public inquiries received by phone or sent via email during normal business hours. Other DCCA offices, including OCP’s Hilo and Maui offices, are unaffected by the positive case. DCCA Director Catherine Awakuni Colón said, “We appreciate the employee’s mindfulness to heed the public messaging and stay home at the onset of feeling ill. Our department took quick action and contacted DOH to ensure proper protocols were followed as the health and safety of not only our employees, but also the visiting public has always been a primary concern.”

Hawai‘i State Judiciary:

Two O‘ahu Judiciary Employees Test Positive for COVID-19

A Ka‘ahumanu Hale (Circuit Court) employee and a Hale Ho‘omalu Juvenile Detention Facility employee have tested positive for COVID-19, the Hawai‘i State Judiciary announced Wednesday. The Ka‘ahumanu Hale employee last worked in the office on Aug.19 and didn’t exhibit symptoms until Aug. 24. They received a positive test Wednesday. DOH said that person posed no risk to anyone in the courthouse due to the length of time out of the office. The Hale Ho‘omalu employee last worked on Aug. 18 and received a positive test result Monday. Employees with close prolonged contact with the affected individual have been identified and told to self-quarantine. They have been advised to seek guidance from their medical providers and will return to work when medically appropriate to do so.

There are now seven confirmed positive cases for Judiciary employees statewide – six on O‘ahu and one on Hawai‘i island. Another Hale Ho‘omalu employee tested positive on Aug. 20, but that person had not been at work since Aug. 11 and posed no risk to anyone in the facility. In addition, a youth at Hale Ho‘omalu tested positive Saturday. The minor was already in medical isolation and did not have any contact with other juveniles.

Hale Ho‘omalu has an emergency operations plan and followed its protocols in response to the situation. The medical and administrative staff will continue to confer with DOH regarding any additional actions needed.

Two Oahu Judiciary Employees Test Positive for COVID-19

Hawai‘i House of Representatives:

Human Services, Homeless Committee to Hold Briefing on Treating COVID-19 Patients

The Human Services and Homeless Committee is set to hold a briefing Friday, Aug. 28, 2020, on the growing need to isolate, quarantine, and treat COVID-19 patients. The informational briefing includes updates on the status of transmission of COVID-19 within our homeless population. The committee chair, Joy San Buenaventura, will also ask participants to explain the plan, initiatives, and processes being implemented by DOH and other State agencies to quarantine and isolate individuals in order to contain the spread of COVID-19. Among those participating will be; the Governor’s Coordinator on Homelessness Scott Morishige, DOH Behavioral Administration Deputy Director Edward Mersereau, UH Associate Professor of Health Policy Dr. Victoria Fan, and DOH Adult Mental Health Division Chief Dr. Amy Curtis. The briefing will be held at 1 p.m. and will be broadcast live. To watch:

https://olelo.org/ or http://olelo.granicus.com/ViewPublisher.php?view_id=31