The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services announced the federal COVID-19 Public Health Emergency has officially ended, as previously announced. Nearly 1,200 Hawaiʻi residents died from COVID-19. Gov. Josh Green said the state expected to see over 4,000 deaths each year if no action was taken.
A new DOH report shows that Hawaiʻi's hepatitis B and liver cancer mortality rates are higher than the national average. Researchers found that more than half of liver cancer diagnoses were caused by chronic hepatitis B infections.
The state Department of Health began tracking reinfections in September 2020, but only recently added the data to the state’s publicly available COVID-19 dashboard.
COVID-19 case counts and hospitalizations continue to rise in Hawaiʻi, but there’s an important difference from earlier surges. Healthcare Association of Hawaii President Hilton Raethel says 151 COVID patients are now hospitalized across the state, but only 13 of them are in intensive care.
Maui Health is limiting patients to one visitor per day for two hours. Since it is the only acute care hospital on Maui, CEO Michael Rembis said the change will get ahead of surging community transmitted COVID-19 cases.