Hawaii Coronavirus Cases Now At 175
UPDATED: The state reported 24 new cases since Saturday. About 8,100 tests have been conducted to date.
The number of coronavirus cases in Hawaii rose by 24 cases to bring the state’s total to 175, Hawaii state officials .
Most of the positive cases are on Oahu, which had 15 new cases to bring its total to 123.
Maui reported four new cases raising its total to 20.
The Big Island added two new cases bringing its total to 12 and Kauai added one new case for a total of 12.
Six cases are pending a final determination and there are still just two cases of Hawaii residents diagnosed outside the state.
The 24 new cases all involve adults and none required hospitalization, according to a DOH update. All but one of those cases involve residents.
Sunday’s update follows a day in which Hawaii health officials reported the largest increase of coronavirus cases in a single day — 29.
There are 12 cases requiring hospitalization so far in the state and no deaths. The DOH said 49 people have also been released from isolation.
The total number of statewide tests to date done via private, state and military channels is roughly 8,107, according to Janice Okubo, spokeswoman for the DOH.
The private sector is now doing a majority of the coronavirus testing, she added. Those labs are processing results at their locations or sending test to the mainland, which might take three to five days to complete before being returned to the in-state facilities, Okubo said.
UPDATE: Over the weekend, Premier Medical Group Hawaii screened thousands of individuals at two drive-thru COVID-19 testing sites at Kakaako Waterfront Park and Waipio Peninsula Soccer Complex in Waipahu.
Medical personnel screened 1,165 people and conducted 265 tests at Waipio on Saturday and screened 1,075 individuals and conducted 301 tests in Kakaako on Sunday, according to Scott Miscovich, a physician who is president and founder of the medical group.
Just because an individual shows up to one of these drive-thru testing sites doesn’t mean they will be tested. They have to first exhibit symptoms and meet the criteria in order to be tested.
Also, since 100% of tests are now being shipped to mainland labs, getting back results is taking time. Even though Premier Medical began drive-thru testing several weeks back, 40% of the tests are still pending, according to Miscovich.
So even though the state has done about 8,000 tests, more than 3,000 are still pending results.
“They just keep rolling in,” he said of the results. “We are probably looking at a 10- to 14-day picture backward. We’re just starting to hit the slope and the majority of us feel there’s at least 1,000 or more positive cases on Oahu alone.”
Of the coronavirus tests that have already been conducted through the drive-thrus, about 3% are coming back positive, according to Miscovich. From an epidemiological standpoint, that’s a high rate that shows “there’s much more transmission that you need to go find,” he said.
The public school community also got word Sunday of a confirmed COVID-19 case involving someone in the Ka‘elepulu Elementary School community, according to news outlets. It’s not clear whether it’s a student, parent, teacher or other support staff, based on sent by the principal to family members of the Kailua school and published in the Honolulu Star-Advertiser.
Meanwhile, on Sunday President Donald Trump to remain in place nationally through April 30.
The state and counties had already implemented “stay at home, work at home” orders that also run through April 30.
All travelers arriving in Hawaii must quarantine for 14 days at their homes or hotels after landing at the airports. State officials are considering placing similar restrictions on inter island travel as well.
