COVID Spikes Statewide

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.

Nationwide, officials are also sounding the alarm about a massive surge in cases, with a 70 percent increase in infections in just one week, with about 26,300 new cases reported daily across the country. Health officials attribute the spike to a combination of the highly transmissible Delta variant taking hold, and a slow in vaccination rates, continuing the push for more people to get vaccinated.

“There is a clear message that is coming through: This is becoming a pandemic of the unvaccinated,” said Rochelle Walensky, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention last week.

The Delta variant has also spread in Hawaii, accounting for cases in every county.

For those wanting to get vaccinated on Molokai, vaccines continue to be available at Molokai General Hospital and Molokai Community Health Center.