News Releases from Department of Health

Office of the Governor: Governor Ige Extends Condolences to Family of First COVID-19 Patient An older adult O‘ahu resident, who was hospitalized with multiple medical issues, is the first person in Hawai‘i diagnosed with COVID-19 to die. Gov. Ige, Lt. Gov. Josh Green, State Health Director Dr. Bruce Anderson, and Hawai‘i Emergency Management Agency Director ...
Read More Hawaii COVID-19 Daily News Digest March 31, 2020

Office of the Governor: Inter-island Travel Now Requires 14-Day Self-Quarantine During today’s news briefing, Governor Ige announced that anyone traveling between islands will now be required to self-quarantine in their home or other lodging for 14 days. This does not apply to those who are considered essential workers, but they are required to wear personal ...
Read More Hawaii COVID-19 Daily News Digest March 30, 2020

HONOLULU – Gov. David Ige has appointed Serafin “Jun” Colmenares Jr. as the administrator of the State Health Planning & Development Agency (SHPDA). Previously, Colmenares Jr. was the acting administrator for the agency and concurrently serving as SHPDA Comprehensive Health Planning Coordinator, in which he provided staffing for health planning councils in West Oahu, Windward ...
Read More Serafin “Jun” Colmenares Jr., PhD, MPH appointed as administrator of the State Health Planning & Development Agency

HONOLULU – Beginning March 30 through July 31, the Hawai‘i Department of Health (DOH) is launching the “Stay Healthy, Stay at Home” campaign on KHON2, iHeart Media, and in Honolulu Star Advertiser print and digital platforms. The goal of the campaign is to encourage adults, especially seniors, to practice social distancing and good hygiene to ...
Read More Hawai‘i Department of Health launches COVID-19 public awareness campaign featuring Frank De Lima

Dept. of Health: Positive Test Results for COVID-19 Now at 175 DOH reports 24 positive test results today and all of the new cases are adults, none of whom have required hospitalization. All but one of the new cases are residents of the state, and only one (1) non-resident, who tested positive on Hawai‘i Island. ...
Read More Hawaii COVID-19 Daily News Digest March 29, 2020

HONOLULU – The Hawai‘i Department of Health (DOH) is warning everyone about the hazards and dangers of using non-approved drugs for COVID-19. Antimalarial drugs have been recently reported as possible treatments against COVID-19, the disease caused by the novel coronavirus. While hydroxychloroquine and chloroquine prescription medications have been used for treatment of malaria and certain ...
Read More Hawai‘i Department of Health warns of potential adverse effects of using antimalaria drugs against COVID-19

Dept. of Health: Today’s Report of Positive Test Results for COVID-19 DOH reports 29 positive test results today: One (1) of the cases is a minor and the rest are adults, 24 are residents of the state, three (3) are non-residents, and information is pending on two cases. Of the 29 new positive test results ...
Read More Hawaii COVID-19 Daily News Digest March 28, 2020

Dept. of Health: DOH reports 14 positive test results today: All of the cases are adults, 12 are residents of the state, one (1) is a non-resident, and one (1) person’s residency is unknown at this time. Of the 14 new positive test results reported today, 10 are from Honolulu, two (2) from Hawai‘i Island, ...
Read More Hawaii COVID-19 Daily News Digest March 27, 2020

Office of the Governor: Today is the first day of the governor’s order that all arrivals to Hawai‘i undergo, mandatory, 14-day-long self-quarantine. This applies to all visitors and returning Hawai‘i residents. Initial reports indicate that incoming airport traffic was light, as expected, and that the process on this first day of the mandatory order, for ...
Read More Hawai’i COVID-19 Daily News Digest March 26, 2020

HONOLULU – Internal communication of a COVID-19 test at the Dept. of Health resulted in a report being misread and initiated a retest of samples today from an O‘ahu adult, who died on March 20, 2020. This evening the second test came back negative for COVID-19. DOH Director Dr. Bruce Anderson says our focus was ...
Read More COVID-19 Retest Associated with Death Comes Back Negative

Office of the Governor: Gov. David Ige’s third supplementary proclamation Monday, ordering the entire state to stay at home and work from home started today and continues through April 30, 2020 12:01 a.m. Wednesday, Mar. 25 through Apr. 30. Essential workers are exempt. This order is intended to stop the spread of COVID-19 in our communities. ...
Read More Hawai’i COVID-19 Daily News Digest March 25, 2020

The Hawai‘i Department of Health (DOH) is waiving routine TB clearance requirements for selected groups to support COVID-19 mitigation efforts. The suspension will remain in effect through May 31, 2020. The suspension will support social distancing in the community to protect the public, especially vulnerable seniors and individuals with medical conditions that could increase their ...
Read More Hawai‘i Department of Health Waives Routine Tuberculosis (TB) Clearance Requirements for Selected Groups

First COVID-19 Death Report Undergoing Confirmation The Dept. of Health continues to investigate the death of an elderly adult on O‘ahu. Irregularities in testing conducted by the State Laboratories Division prompted DOH leadership to order retesting. The State lab initially received an indeterminate test from a private testing lab and late yesterday the state lab ...
Read More COVID-19 Daily Update March 24, 2020

HONOLULU – An O‘ahu adult is Hawai‘i’s first death from COVID-19, the novel coronavirus. The Department of Health reports the person passed away on March 20, 2020 and suffered from multiple underlying health conditions. The available history for this person suggests they had a potential indirect travel-related exposure. The person had been tested at a ...
Read More State Announces First Death from COVID-19

Honolulu and Maui Stay-at-Home Orders Honolulu Mayor Kirk Caldwell and Maui Mayor Michael Victorino have issued stay-at-home, work-at-home orders for their islands. In the City and County of Honolulu the order takes effect today (March 23, 2020) at 4:30 p.m. and requires all residents to stay and work from home through Thursday, April 30, 2020 ...
Read More COVID-19 Daily Update March 23, 2020

Governor’s Order for Self-Quarantine of All Travelers to Hawai‘i Effective, Thursday, March 26, 2020, Governor David Ige has ordered that all persons entering the State of Hawai‘i to self-quarantine for 14 days or for the duration of their stay in Hawai‘i, whichever is shorter. Upon arrival, residents are required to self-quarantine in a designated location ...
Read More COVID-19 Daily Update March 22, 2020

Be Considerate When Purchasing Food and Supplies The DOH reminds the public to be judicious when shopping for food and essential goods so that kūpuna and others in need are able to purchase necessary items. The Hawai‘i Department of Transportation (HDOT) Harbors Division continues to manage Hawai‘i’s commercial ports–the lifeline for Hawai‘i communities for food, ...
Read More COVID-19 Daily Update March 21, 2020

The Importance of Mental Health As we head into the weekend, the Hawai‘i Department of Health (DOH) encourages everyone to take care of themselves and heed the social distancing directives by Gov. David Ige and county officials. Here are four suggestions to keep busy and stay at ease: You can remain active and go outdoors ...
Read More COVID-19 Daily Update March 20, 2020

The State of Hawaii has launched a new website — www.hawaiicovid19.com — to equip residents and visitors with information and resources to help prevent the spread of COVID-19 in our community. HawaiiCOVID19.com will serve as a hub for Hawai‘i’s inter-agency coordinated effort to combat the spread of the disease statewide and will be populated with more ...
Read More State of Hawai‘i launches www.HawaiiCOVID19.com website

Counties Roll Out Plans to Mitigate the Spread of COVID-19 Following the State of Hawai‘i’s plan for “15-Days to Slow the Spread” of COVID-19, Hawai‘i’s mayors have recently implemented county plans that are geared to their island residents. Department of Health supports everyone’s efforts to keep the community safe and healthy. “We can be more ...
Read More COVID-19 Daily Update March 19, 2020