Health

253 New Cases in Past 2 Weeks

Thursday, January 13th, 2022

By Catherine Cluett Pactol

Molokai hit a pandemic record high daily case count two days in a row for the island last week with 33 new cases on Jan. 3 and 39 cases the following day. 

As of last Sunday’s Dept. of Health data, the island had 526 cases since the pandemic began, 253 of which have been recorded in the last two weeks, between Dec. 24 and Jan. 7. 

For those experiencing any symptoms, testing sites on Molokai include Lanikeha Community Center (make an appointment at alohaclear.com), Molokai Community Health Center, Molokai General Hospital and Molokai Drugs.

Booster shot eligibility has expanded to include a single Pfizer booster for everyone ages 12 to 17 who had their primary vaccination series at least five months ago, and for children ages 5 to 11 who are moderately to severely immunocompromised, the Dept.…

133 Molokai COVID Cases in 2 Weeks

Thursday, January 6th, 2022

By Catherine Cluett Pactol

Molokai, in line with the rest of the state, is in the midst of an unprecedented spike in COVID cases. Molokai has logged 133 cases in the last two weeks, between Dec. 19 and Dec. 31, according to Dept. of Health data current as of Sunday, Dec. 2. The island also recorded a pandemic record high case count in one day on Dec. 26 of 26 cases. Previously, the highest single-day case number was 12 in August. 

Hawaii as a state also logged its highest single-day case count of the pandemic on Dec. 28 with 3538 cases, as the Omicron variant sweeps across the country. …

COVID Cases Rising Again

Wednesday, December 22nd, 2021

By Catherine Cluett Pactol

Molokai has seen a recent increase in COVID cases this month, logging 14 so far in December, according to the Dept. of Health as of Sunday. One new case was reported on Dec. 8, seven on Dec. 9, three on Dec. 10, two on Dec. 13 and one on Dec. 14. 

The DOH is urging residents to exercise caution and celebrate the holidays safely as COVID-19 is surging as a new COVID variant known as Omicron spreads into Hawaii and cases are already on the rise. Last Friday, the DOH reported 797 new COVID cases, the highest case count in more than three months.…

Omicron Variant in HI, County Restrictions Ease

Wednesday, December 8th, 2021

By Catherine Cluett Pactol

Last week, the Dept. of Health confirmed the presence of the COVID-19 variant known as Omicron in Hawaii. The State Laboratories Division performed whole genome sequencing on the specimen to confirm the variant, which was detected in an Oahu resident with no history of travel, showing a case of community spread. The person had previously been infected with COVID-19 but was not vaccinated. As of Dec. 3, the DOH was awaiting genome sequencing results of three other COVID cases that may also be Omicron variant. 

The Omicron variant has been detected in at least 23 countries and at least two other states so far.…

HI COVID Cases Slow, Regulations Ease

Wednesday, December 1st, 2021

By Catherine Cluett Pactol

With COVID cases on the decline in Hawaii, Gov. David Ige announced changes to rules related to COVID-19 last week. While measures like the Safe Travels Program for entering the state and indoor mask mandates will continue, the governor said emergency orders of pandemic regulations will be transferred to the county level, and limits for social gatherings established in a Nov. 2 state order will end on Dec. 1.

“Hawaii residents have worn their masks and avoided large gatherings, even important family events,” said Ige. “Most of our residents are vaccinated. We worked together to keep our communities as safe as possible during this pandemic.…