COVID-19

Na Pu’uwai Fair Encourages Healthy Lifestyles

Wednesday, August 11th, 2021

By Catherine Cluett Pactol | Editor

Despite a last minute switch from a traditional event to drive-thru style, Na Pu’uwai’s Mauli Ola Health Fair went on last Saturday afternoon featuring free goodie bags, healthy food, COVID testing and vaccinations, raffle drawings and gym membership signups.

Due to last week’s spike in on-island cases, event organizers made changes for safety, with COVID testing also offered as a last minute addition. Participants could meet Na Pu’uwai healthcare providers, learn about healthy lifestyles – learn it from numan, integrative programs and take a fitness test. COVID Pfizer and Johnson & Johnson vaccine shots were offered, administered as participants remained in their vehicles.…

Telehealth Support Services Coming

Wednesday, August 11th, 2021

DOH News Release

The Hawaii State Department of Health (DOH) has partnered with the Hawaii State Public Library System and the Pacific Basin Telehealth Resource Center at the University of Hawaii at Manoa to bring COVID-19 health and digital navigators and telehealth services to 15 libraries in underserved and rural areas statewide. The $3.7 million project is funded by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to address COVID-19 health disparities as part of the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021.

The project will start by the end of this year and includes 15 state libraries, including the Molokai Public Library.…

New Molokai COVID Cases, Vaccine Mandates

Wednesday, August 11th, 2021

By Catherine Cluett Pactol | Editor

While Hawaii saw between 400 and 650 new COVID cases per day last week, Molokai also had a spike in cases. Two new cases were reported by the Dept. of Health last Thursday and seven on Friday for Molokai, according to a DOH Sunday update. Though it was not reported how many of the Molokai cases have been from the Delta variant, the highly contagious variant is now accounting for a majority of cases in a massive COVID-19 spike in cases around the U.S. and the world.

Kualapu’u School had two students test positive for COVID-19, prompting some student quarantines while the school remained open.…

Delta Variant Surge Causes Concern

Wednesday, August 4th, 2021

By Catherine Cluett Pactol | Editor

While Molokai has not seen any new COVID-19 cases since one on July 14, across the state and country, COVID cases are soaring, which officials attribute to the Delta variant’s high rate of spread.

On July 31, Hawaii reported 485 new cases, and the day before that, a record 622 new infections, which the Dept. of Health says came from a combination of a backlog of uncounted cases earlier in the week and the Delta variant’s contagion. Lt. Gov. Josh Green said last Saturday, there were 129 virus patients hospitalized across the state, amidst the biggest COVID surge in the state so far this year.…

COVID Spikes Statewide

Wednesday, July 21st, 2021

By Catherine Cluett Pactol

Molokai had one new COVID-19 case confirmed by the Dept. of Health last Wednesday, the first since May 26.

Statewide, numbers have spiked, with last Saturday marking the third day in a row of triple digit numbers. Hawaii logged 166 new cases last Thursday and 147 on Friday. Lt. Gov. Josh Green attributed the rise in cases to gatherings over the 4th of July weekend.

He also said the new cases are almost exclusively among those who are not vaccinated, the Star Advertiser reported. According to Green, 95 percent of COVID-19 hospital admissions are unvaccinated people.

Health officials report that 59.1 percent of the state’s population is now fully vaccinated, and 65 percent have gotten at last one dose.…