COVID treatments may be less effective on virus strain dominant on Maui CDC says California variant not as transmissible as other variants. (Source: Hawaii News Now) By HNN Staff | April 8, 2021 at 3:26 PM HST - Updated April 8 at 4:09 PM HONOLULU, Hawaii (HawaiiNewsNow) - Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said research shows that COVID treatments may not work as well on the variant dominant on Maui. The CDC said the California variant appears to have a âsignificant impactâ on some of the current coronavirus treatments. This means that recovery treatment for patients who contract the virus may not be as effective.