HAWAI‘I COVID-19 JOINT INFORMATION CENTER DAILY NEWS DIGEST March 1, 2021
Department of Health:
https://health.hawaii.gov/coronavirusdisease2019/what-you-should-know/current-situation-in-hawaii/
Daily and Weekly Preliminary Vaccine Administration Updates
The charts below will be included in the Daily News Digest, Monday-Friday.
29 New COVID-19 Cases
DOH reports 29 new cases of coronavirus. This report includes cases up until Saturday at 11:59 p.m. Full data is posted on the State COVID-19 dashboard and on the DOH Disease Outbreak & Control Division website daily: hawaiicovid19.com/dashboard.
Hawai‘i COVID-19 Counts as of 11:59 p.m. Feb. 27, 2021
| Island of Diagnosis | New Cases | Reported since
2/28/2020 (including new cases) |
| O‘ahu | 17 | 21,966 |
| Hawai‘i | 1 | 2,245 |
| Maui | 8 | 2,218 |
| Kaua‘i | 0 | 183 |
| Moloka‘i | 0 | 27 |
| Lānaʻi | 0 | 108 |
| HI residents diagnosed outside of HI | 3 | 841 |
| Total Cases | 29 | 27,588 |
| Deaths | 0 | 439 |
Hospitalizations as of 8:30 a.m. on 2/27/21 – Hawai‘i-2, Maui 10, O‘ahu-18, Kauaʻi-1
Hawaiʻi Awaits National Guidelines on Use of Johnson & Johnson Vaccine
On Saturday, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) granted Emergency Use Authorization for Johnson & Johnson’s COVID-19 vaccination. With this authorization, the CDC Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices is expected to issue recommendations on who should receive the vaccine and how it should be distributed.
“Today’s announcement validates the FDA’s findings that this vaccine is safe and effective at preventing severe illness, hospitalization, and death,” Hawai‘i State Health Director Dr. Elizabeth Char said. “Johnson & Johnson’s one-dose regimen and less stringent handling requirements will bolster Hawaii’s vaccination efforts. We look forward to reviewing the CDC’s recommendations so we can make informed distribution decisions.” Read the full news release:
Vaccine Delivery Update:
DOH is anticipating delivery of 67,280 doses of COVID-19 vaccines this week.
This includes 28,080 doses of Pfizer vaccines, 27,300 doses of Moderna vaccines, and 11,900 doses of Johnson & Johnson vaccines. The first shipment Johnson & Johnson vaccines will not arrive today but is expected to arrive within the next few days. All counties will all be receiving Johnson & Johnson vaccines.
The 67,280 doses the state expects to receive this week does not include an additional 10,380 doses the federal government is expected to ship directly to CVS / Longs this week as part of the Federal Retail Pharmacy Program.
University of Hawai‘i:
UH Mānoa Responding To COVID-19 Cases on Campus
Seven student residents from three different buildings have tested positive since last Thursday, and UH Mānoa is working to contain this apparent COVID-19 virus cluster in on-campus student housing. The contact tracing process has identified three close contacts, who are also student residents, and determined that eight of the ten students involved are connected and have been in social contact with each other. DOH is also investigating.
The 10 students (7 positive and 3 close contacts) have been temporarily moved off campus to isolate and be monitored and cared for. Six of the seven who tested positive have no in-person classes this semester. The seventh has a hybrid course, but health officials determined that they were infected after the last time the class met in-person. All of the rooms involved have been closed and building common areas cleaned and disinfected.
Since April 2020, there have been 92 reported cases of COVID-19 on UH’s 10 campuses, 61 at UH Mānoa, the system’s largest campus. Among those, 25 have been students who live on the Mānoa campus with 14 reported cases in fall 2020 and 11 cases so far in spring 2021. There are about 1,400 students living on campus, about 50 percent below full capacity. Read more here: http://manoa.hawaii.edu/news/article.php?aId=11188
Department of the Attorney General:
Woman Arrested for Quarantine Violation
This morning Special Agents from the AG’s Investigations Division arrested a 19-year-old Honolulu woman on charges of violating the state’s mandatory quarantine rules.
Cheyenne Nitaya Carter came back to Honolulu on Feb. 21 without an exemption and was reported by a community member to be at work. Carter was booked and charged, and her bail was set at $2000.
Department of Business, Economic Development and Tourism:
Hawai‘i’s Economy Projected to Grow 2.7 Percent This Year
DBEDT released its first quarter 2021 Statistical and Economic Report today. The department projects that Hawai‘i’s economy will experience improvement in 2021, with a projected 2.7 percent increase in real gross domestic product (GDP). This is higher than the 2.1 percent GDP growth projected in December 2020. While final estimates of economic growth have not been released yet, DBEDT estimates that Hawai‘i’s real GDP fell by approximately 7.5 percent in 2020, a smaller decline than the 11.7 percent contraction forecast in the previous quarter.
Highlights:
- Public, private, non-profit entities and individuals in Hawai‘i were allocated more than $10.6 billion in federal funds in 2020.
- The second federal economic stimulus package of $900 billion provided qualified individuals with a $600 stimulus check, extended the supplemental $300 weekly unemployment benefit, and allocated additional funds for the Paycheck Protection Program. Furthermore, legislation is being considered for a third stimulus package of $1.9 trillion, that includes an additional $1,400 stimulus checks for qualified people. Hawai‘i is expected to receive more than $7 billion federal funds in 2021.
- The Safe Travels Program brought in 496,186 visitors in the fourth quarter of 2020, representing a recovery of about 20 percent from the same period in 2019. By comparison, visitor arrivals between April and September 2020 were only 1.8 percent of the same period a year earlier.
- As of Feb. 28, 2021, 17.5 percent of Hawai‘i’s population had been vaccinated at least with one shot, higher than the U.S. average at 15 percent.
DBEDT Director Mike McCartney said, “It has been one year since the onset of COVID-19 and it’s been a tough and challenging time for all of us. I can see positive and encouraging signs ahead for Hawai‘i’s economic prosperity with Hawai‘i’s Safe Travels program fully in place and the aggressive rollout of our statewide vaccination program, coupled with the fact that we have the lowest number of new COVID-19 cases in the country. Given all these signs, I am now more optimistic about Hawai‘i’s social, environmental, and economic prosperity in the future.”
The full news release is available at: https://dbedt.hawaii.gov/blog/21-10/
The full report is available at: dbedt.Hawai‘i.gov/economic/qser/
Department of Public Safety
Statewide Inmate Testing Continues
COVID-19 testing is continuously being conducted statewide at all facilities. The Maui Community Correctional Center received 16 inmate test results. Of that number, five (5) were positive and 11 were negative. The total active positive inmate cases stand at 39. All other correctional facility inmate populations remain clear of the virus. The Oʻahu Community Correctional Center reported one (1) negative inmate results. Halawa Correctional Facility received three (3) negative staff test result. For more information on PSD’s planning and response efforts to COVID-19: http://dps.hawaii.gov/blog/2020/03/17/coronavirus-covid-19-information-and-resources/
Hawaiʻi Tourism Authority:
10,501 Passengers Arrive on Sunday
Yesterday, a total of 10,501 people arrived in Hawai‘i from out of state. A total 5,967 people indicated they came to Hawai‘i for vacation. There were also 1,616 returning residents. The trans-Pacific passenger arrival data is derived from data provided by the Safe Travels digital system.
To view more: https://www.hawaiitourismauthority.org/covid-19-updates/trans-pacific-passenger-arrivals/
Helpful Resources
Trusted Testing and Travel Partners:
The state of Hawai‘i only accepts Nucleic Acid Amplification Test (NAAT) from a certified Clinical Laboratory Improvement Amendment (CLIA) lab test results from Trusted Testing and Travel Partners. For the full list of domestic trans-Pacific, inter-county, international and airline partners or information on how to become a Trusted Testing Partner, go to:
https://hawaiicovid19.com/travel-partners/
Safe Travels Hawai‘i Program: Program overview: https://hawaiicovid19.com/travel/
FAQs: https://hawaiicovid19.com/travel/faqs/
Email: [email protected]
Call Center Number: 1-800-GO-HAWAII
COVID-19 Vaccine Status in Hawai‘i and FAQs:
https://hawaiicovid19.com/vaccine/
Vaccine Call Center: 808-586-8332
COVID-19 Expanded Dashboard (Tables, Charts, and Visualizations):
https://hawaiicovid19.com/data-dashboard/
Safe Travels Digital Platform:
https://hawaiicovid19.com/travel/data/
Kaua‘i County: Kaua‘i COVID-19 webpage: https://www.kauai.gov/COVID-19 To report violators: https://www.kauai.gov/KPD-Online-Reporting
Vaccine Information: https://www.kauai.gov/vaccine
Maui County: Maui County travel and COVID-19 information: https://www.mauicounty.gov
To report violators: (808) 244-6400 or [email protected]
Hawai‘i County: Hawai‘i County COVID-19 webpage: https://coronavirus-response-county-of-hawaii-hawaiicountygis.hub.arcgis.com/pages/travel
Critical infrastructure and medical travel request: https://survey123.arcgis.com/share/e2f4ce19aa854964a8fd60bec7fbe78c To report violators: 808-935-3311
City & County of Honolulu: Honolulu COVID-19 webpage: oneoahu.org
COVID-19 Vaccine Information: http://www.oneoahu.org/vaccine
Interisland passengers arriving on O‘ahu are not subject to the mandatory quarantine. To report violators: 808-723-3900 or [email protected]
Media Contact:
Hawai‘i COVID-19 Joint Information Center
(808) 636-8194
