coronavirus

Updated: 11/19/2020, 12:08 p.m. 

The state Department of Health today reported 107 new COVID-19 cases and no additional deaths.

Given the state’s recent reporting changes that delay the numbers for two days, the latest daily count represents cases for Tuesday athrough 11:59 p.m.

Based on the latest numbers, Oahu saw 75 new cases, Hawaii County 12, Kauai 4, Maui 9 and Lanai and Molokai 0. 

Overwhelmed hospitals are converting chapels, cafeterias, waiting rooms, hallways, even a parking garage into patient treatment areas. Staff members are desperately calling around to other medical centers in search of open beds. Fatigue and frustration are setting in among front-line workers.

Updated: 11/18/20, 12:08 p.m. The state Department of Health today reported one new death and 71 new COVID-19 cases.

With the state’s recent reporting changes that delays the numbers for two days, the daily case counts are from Monday. The health department said the receipt of 4,000 to 5,000 electronic records daily from the labs that handle the tests take time to process, accounting for the delay.

Updated 11/17/20, 1:43 p.m.

With more shutdowns looming and a vaccine months away from wide distribution, governors across the U.S. are pleading for more help from Washington ahead of what is shaping up to be a bleak winter.

Updated: 11/17/2020, 12:14 p.m.

The state Department of Health yesterday reported 53 new COVID-19 cases and no new deaths.

With the state’s recent reporting changes, the daily case counts are two days old. The health department said by email that the receipt of 4,000 to 5,000 electronic records from the labs that handle the tests take time to process, accounting for the delay.

Updated 11/16/20, 4:28 p.m.

From California to Pennsylvania, governors and mayors across the U.S. are ratcheting up COVID-19 restrictions amid the record-shattering resurgence of the virus that is all but certain to get worse because of holiday travel and family gatherings over Thanksgiving.

Updated: 11/16/2020, 4:58 p.m.
 

Gov. David Ige today issued a new COVID-19 emergency proclamation—his 15th.

The governor’s office says this one extends and clarifies the statewide mask mandate “as agreed to by all four counties and the state.”

The proclamation says in part: "All persons in the state shall wear a face covering over their nose and mouth when in public.”

Kauai officials yesterday reported three new cases on the island, two related to travel, including one who tested negative in a pre-flight test and then tested positive. The continuing increase in cases on the island could trigger more restrictions under the county's reopening plan.

Originally published on November 14, 2020 10:42 am

The U.S. added more than 184,000 confirmed COVID-19 cases on Friday, the fourth day in a row that the country has set a record for daily infections, according to data from the Johns Hopkins University Coronavirus Resource Center.

WASHINGTON (AP) — Joe Biden faces a decision unlike any other incoming president: whether to back a short-term national lockdown to finally arrest a raging pandemic.

For now, it's a question the president-elect would prefer to avoid. In the week since he defeated President Donald Trump, Biden has devoted most of his public remarks to encouraging Americans to wear a mask and view the coronavirus as a threat that has no regard for political ideology.

Updated: 11/14/2020, 3:10 p.m. Kauai Mayor Derek Kawakami is calling for changes to the state's Safe Travels program that has allowed passengers to arrive in the island before receiving their pre-flight COVID-19 results, contributing to a dramatic increase in the county's cases.

The City and County of Honolulu has thousands of COVID-19 test kits for anyone who wants one, but officials have less than two weeks to use them.

COVID-19 testing sites are popping up all over Hawaii as the state increases its testing capacity. But can anyone get a test on demand and, if not, how is that decided?

Updated: 11/13/2020, 3:10 p.m. 

New COVID-19 cases reported today totaled 110 statewide, returning the state to triple-digit counts and again raising the possibility that further easing of restrictions won't come soon, particularly on Oahu. There were no additional deaths, with the state toll standing at 222.

With a COVID-19 vaccine drawing closer, public health officials across the country are gearing up for the biggest vaccination effort in U.S. history — a monumental undertaking that must distribute hundreds of millions of doses, prioritize who's first in line and ensure that people who get the initial shot return for the necessary second one.

Updated: 11/12/2020, 5:16 p.m.

The new COVID-19 cases totaled 97 statewide today, less than the triple digit counts seen frequently in recent days but still a threat to further easing of restrictions, particularly on Oahu. There were no additional deaths, with the state toll standing at 222.

With today's counts, the state Department of Health reported Hawaii cases reached 16,302 since the pandemic began.

Updated 11/12/20, 9:54 a.m.

Temperature and COVID-19 symptom checks like the ones used at schools and doctor's offices have again proved inadequate for spotting coronavirus infections and preventing outbreaks.

Updated 11/11/20, 10:56 a.m.

Texas on Wednesday became the first state with more than 1 million confirmed COVID-19 cases, and California closed in on that mark as a surge of coronavirus infections engulfs the country from coast to coast.

Updated: 11/11/2020, 3:22 p.m.

The new COVID-19 case count returned to triple digits today, with 118 cases reported statewide, again jeoparizing further easing of restrictions, particularly on Oahu. There were no additional deaths, with the state toll standing at 222.

Updated 11/10/20, 3:50 p.m.

NEW YORK — The U.S. hit a record number of coronavirus hospitalizations Tuesday and surpassed 1 million new confirmed cases in just the first 10 days of November amid a nationwide surge of infections that shows no signs of slowing.

Updated: 11/10/2020, 3:30 p.m. The new COVID-19 case count moderated again today with 78 infections reported, but it's still not enough to secure more easing of restrictions. There was one additional death, bringing the state toll to 222.

Kauai and Maui are encouraging trans-Pacific travelers to take a free, second COVID-19 test a few days after they arrive on the islands. It’s as an extra precaution to stem the spread of the virus -- but few are taking up the offer.

Updated 11/9/20, 3:35 p.m.

WASHINGTON — U.S. health officials have allowed emergency use of the first antibody drug to help the immune system fight COVID-19, an experimental approach against the virus that has killed more than 238,000 Americans.