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Health

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.…

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Charity Walk Goes Virtual

Wednesday, July 28th, 2021

MHLA News Release

The Maui Hotel and Lodging Association (MHLA) is pleased to announce that after having to cancel the 2020 Visitor Industry Charity Walk event due to COVID-19 restrictions, the 42nd annual event is back this year and completely online.

Instead of a physical event as has been held in the past, the 2021 Visitor Industry Charity Walk will be launched on a digital platform that participants and donors can download on their mobile device. Walkers will have a two week “Walk Window” to track their steps and keep connected to the event.

From Aug. 30 to Sept. 12, online “walkers” will be able to see their progress on a virtual map, as well as take part in fun challenges and be eligible to win prizes, including our grand prize trip to Anaheim, CA.…

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Coffee Leaf Rust Found on Molokai

Wednesday, July 28th, 2021

Coffee Leaf Rust Found on Molokai

By Catherine Cluett Pactol

A pathogen devastating for coffee plants has been confirmed on Molokai among wild coffee plants. The Hawaii Department of Agriculture (HDOA) detected coffee leaf rust (CLR) on June 14 during a survey of feral coffee in Kaunakakai. Further surveys detected more CLR on the east side of the island. The disease is now found on all major Hawaiian Islands.

CLR is a devastating coffee pathogen first discovered in Sri Lanka in 1869. It can cause severe defoliation of coffee plants, and both the leaf and berry growth can be affected and greatly reduced. Long-term impacts of CLR includes severe dieback, with crop losses ranging from 30 to 80 percent, according to HDOA.…

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Molokai Bone Marrow Drive

Wednesday, July 28th, 2021

Be the Match Hawaii News Release

As part of his Eagle Scout project, Life Scout Riley Regan of Oahu’s Troop 325 will host a bone marrow donor drive at Lanikeha Community Center in Ho’olehua on Saturday, Aug. 21 from 9 a.m. to 12 noon. There is a need for more diverse individuals to join donor registry with Be The Match Hawaii and increase the chances of finding a donor match for patients awaiting a life-saving blood stem cell or marrow transplant.

Assisting Riley with the project on Molokai will be Senator Lynn DeCoite and Molokai Homestead Farmers Alliance.

“We hope that Molokai residents from 18 to 44 will join the registry so that more lives can be saved, as well as to raise awareness on the Friendly Isle about how easy it is for anyone to save a life,” said DeCoite.…

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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.…

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MGH Gets Federal Funding

Wednesday, July 21st, 2021

Sen. Schatz News Release

Today, U.S. Senator Brian Schatz announced that 10 small rural hospitals in Hawaii – those with fewer than 50 beds and Critical Access Hospitals – will receive $2,583,760 in new federal funding from the American Rescue Plan. Molokai General Hospital is among those that will receive the funds. This funding will help these hospitals expand COVID-19 testing for people living in rural communities and tailor mitigation efforts to meet local needs – such as community education and workforce expenses.

“Families in rural areas across Hawaii rely on local hospitals to get the health care they need in their own communities,” said Sen.…

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Free Meals for All Public School Students

Wednesday, July 21st, 2021

DOE News Release

All students at Molokai public schools are among Hawaii’s 257 public schools that will receive free breakfast and lunch meals for the entirety of the 2021-22 school year, thanks to a nationwide waiver from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). The waiver aims to minimize the possible spread of COVID-19 at schools across the country by eliminating meal payment transactions in school cafeterias, settings where students and cashiers may not be able to maintain proper social distancing. Federal funds will reimburse state education departments for meal costs.

“This has been a challenging time for our ʻohana, and I am proud to continue our safety net support through actions that improve food security for our students while providing economic relief for our families,” Superintendent Dr.…

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Bovine TB Found on Molokai

Wednesday, July 14th, 2021

By Catherine Cluett Pactol

Twenty-five years after a bovine tuberculosis (bTB) outbreak on Molokai caused the culling of all the island’s cattle, a cow infected with the disease was reported by the Hawaii Dept. of Agriculture last Friday. The infected cow was originally from a beef cattle herd in Ho`olehua and was temporarily pastured in Mapulehu on the east end because of the ongoing drought, the HDOA reported.

Bovine tuberculosis, Mycobacterium bovis, is a contagious and infectious disease of animals, usually carried by cows, that can also infect humans. There have been sporadic outbreaks on Molokai in cattle herds since the 1940s, especially on the east end, but this is the first detected case in Hawaii since a Molokai outbreak in 1997.…

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County Gym to Reopen

Wednesday, July 14th, 2021

County of Maui News Release

The County of Maui Department of Parks and Recreation is preparing to reopen gymnasium facilities that have been closed for recreational use since March 2020 because of the COVID-19 pandemic, including Molokai’s gym in Kaunakakai.

It’s great to welcome our residents back into County gyms for basketball, volleyball and more,” Mayor Michael Victorino said. “The special tri-annual permit process offers a fair way for leagues and others to reserve recreational athletic use of our County gym facilities. This is another step toward normalcy for Maui County, and for seamless transitions in managing gym equipment during these activities, consider the services offered by Gym Equipment Removals.…

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Cancer Fund Gets $9K Grant

Wednesday, July 14th, 2021

Cancer Fund Gets $9K Grant

Molokai Cancer Fund News Release

Molokai Cancer Fund received a grant for $9,000, which will help Molokai residents diagnosed with cancer and are undergoing treatment with travel to Honolulu or Maui. Travel costs can be so expensive for those who have limited or no travel benefit from their health insurances (underinsured or uninsured).

This is the first grant funding received from Bayer and we will keep helping our Molokai Cancer patients and their caregivers through people’s donations and through our annual Walk for Ohana Fundraising event which was halted due to the pandemic. On behalf of Molokai Cancer Fund, we would like to express our best gratitude to Bayer Molokai, especially to Dawn Bicoy who always keeps us informed and to Stacie Sasagawa from Oahu who also sends reminders.…

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