Hawai‘i COVID-19 Daily News Digest September 1, 2020

Posted on Sep 1, 2020 in COVID-19

Governor’s Office:

Thousands Tested in Unique H-3 Surge Testing

With a string of people lined up in their vehicles to receive their free COVID-19 test as a backdrop, Gov. Ige discussed today’s H-3 Freeway surge testing program. The governor and organizers of the event believe this, combined with a repeat testing day on Thursday, will allow tens of thousands of O‘ahu residents to get tested for COVID-19. Free testing kits were provided by the U.S. Dept. of Health and Human Services. The event is a collaborative effort of the Honolulu Fire Dept. (HFD), the Honolulu Police Dept. (HPD)., the Hawai‘i National Guard, the Hawai‘i Dept. of Transportation (DOT), and others. Ed Sniffen, the Highways Division Deputy for DOT said more than 300 people manned checkpoints, check-in stations, and testing stations, set up in both tunnels of the H-3 Freeway. 

Before noon there was a steady line of cars coming from town and it was estimated the wait time peaked at 45 minutes. HPD officers occasionally would lead additional cars into the restricted left lane to bring them around to the town-bound side. Other than during the first hour, traffic from the Windward side was light to non-existent.  

For testing on Thursday, HFD Capt. Jeff Roache encouraged people to bring their family and take a drive over the Pali or Likelike highways and enjoy the spectacular scenery surrounding the H-3 Freeway. “This is a remarkable, one-of-a-kind collaboration. The H-3 Freeway is a place where we can do mass testing without disrupting lives and traffic in urban neighborhoods,” Gov. Ige said. Everyone is encouraged to take advantage of the free testing on Thursday or during the next week and a half, at other locations. The federal government has made a total of 90,000 test kits available to Hawai‘i and extended free surge testing to Sept. 14. 

Honolulu Mayor Kirk Caldwell said, “This testing effort is a critical part of getting the virus under control on O‘ahu, and today’s test site on the H-3 allowed thousands more people to get a test, helping us find where the virus is in our communities, and giving our residents much needed peace of mind. This kind of monumental effort requires everyone at the table, and I want to thank the State for stepping up and creating this testing site. The only way we will slow the spread of COVID-19 is by working together, and today’s effort is an example of that much needed coordination.” To register for Thursday’s H-3 surge testing or at other sites, visit:

https://www.doineedacovid19test.com/

To watch Governor Ige’s news briefing from the H-3:

https://vimeo.com/453842520

governor talks about H-3 Surge COVID-19 Testing the H-3 highway during Surge COVID-19 Testing


Department of Health: 

181 New Cases and Four Additional COVID-19 Deaths

Two (2) O‘ahu men, an O‘ahu woman, and a Hawai‘i Island man are the latest people to pass away as a result of coronavirus. All had underlying medical conditions. The three O‘ahu individuals had been hospitalized and the Hawai‘i Island man was in the Veteran’s Home. The woman and one O‘ahu man were in the 70 to 79-year-old age group, and the other two men were 80 years old or older.

Hawai‘i COVID-19 Counts as of 12:00 noon, Sept. 1, 2020    

Island of Diagnosis    

New Cases    

Reported since    

2/28/2020    

(including new cases) 

O‘ahu    

157

7,848

Hawai‘i    

19

383

Maui   

5

336

Kaua‘i   

0

57

Moloka‘i    

0

4

Lana‘i    

0

0

HI residents diagnosed outside of HI   

0

25

Total Cases    

181

8,653

Deaths    

4

74

Hospitalization count as of 8/31/20 at 3:15 pm: 17-Hawai‘i, 27-Maui, 244-O‘ahu, 0-Kaua‘i  

Laboratory* Testing Data    

There were 4,004 additional COVID-19 tests reported via electronic laboratory reporting.

Total Number of Individuals Tested by Clinical and State Laboratories    

Positive    

Negative    

202,186**    

8,653

193,507 

*Electronic Laboratory Reporting **26 test results were inconclusive  COVID-19 Epidemic Curve of Cases Updated September 1, 2020

For more tables, charts and visualizations visit the DOH Disease Outbreak Control Division: https://health.hawaii.gov/coronavirusdisease2019/what-you-should-know/current-situation-in-hawaii

New Campaign Highlights COVID-19 Survivor Stories  

The DOH launched a new campaign Tuesday featuring stories from COVID-19 patients in Hawai‘i to emotionally appeal to Hawai‘i residents who are not wearing masks or practicing physical distancing. The “Live With No Regrets” campaign highlights patients and their families who share personal stories of how getting COVID-19 impacted their lives. 

Gaualofa “Lofa” Nua spent seven weeks in the hospital and ended up on a ventilator, and today still requires an oxygen concentrator. “It’s been quite a journey. I’m still having issues now with breathing, and more than half of my lungs are still scarred,” he said. “Going from a healthy person to learning that your heart stopped twice, that your lungs collapsed—that makes you look at life from a different perspective. “The impact of the virus on family and loved ones is also woven into the campaign. 

The powerful messages will air on broadcast and cable TV and radio, and be placed in print, digital, social and streaming platforms through the end of December. Longer form videos of each survivor’s story are available on DOH’s website:  

www.hawaiicovid19.com/survivors

Office of Enterprise Technology Services:  

New Online Safe Travels Application Begins    

The State has begun exclusively using the online Safe Travels application for all travelers. This new digital application, which launched on Tuesday, collects the required health and travel information and is critical to protecting the health of our residents and visitors alike. Safe Travels is one part of a multi-layered screening process which includes arrival temperature checks, and secondary screening for those with symptoms or temperatures of 100.4 degrees or higher. The application can be found at https://travel.hawaii.gov.  

View the press release: https://ets.hawaii.gov/new-online-safe-travels-application-mandatory-on-sept-1/

Hawai‘i Tourism Authority: 

1,830 Passengers Arrive on Sunday 

On Sunday, a total of 1,803 people arrived in Hawai‘i including 404 visitors and 698 returning residents. There was a total of 31 arriving flights. This table shows the number of people who arrived by air from out of state yesterday but does not show interisland travel.  

AIRPORT ARRIVALS FOR SUNDAY, AUGUST 30, 2020 

 

KONA 

MAUI 

O‘AHU 

LĪHUʻE 

TOTAL 

Crew 

17 

19 

121 

5 

162 

Transit 

 

 

132 

 

132 

Military 

 

 

114 

 

114 

Exempt 

 

 

178 

 

178 

Relocate to Hawai‘i 

6 

4 

132 

 

142 

Returning Resident 

43 

76 

578 

1 

698 

Visitor 

53 

28 

319 

4 

404 

GRAND TOTAL 

119 

127 

1,574 

10 

1,830 

Flights 

4 

3 

23 

1 

31 

https://www.hawaiitourismauthority.org/media/5226/083120-passenger-count-press-release.pdf

*Note: The data presented in this DND is a day behind, and shows information for Sunday’s flights

Hawai‘i State Judiciary:

Maui and O‘ahu Judiciary Employees Test Positive for COVID-19  

The Hawai‘i State Judiciary announced Tuesday that employees at three different facilities have tested positive for COVID-19. A Honolulu District Court Traffic Violations Bureau employee last worked on Aug. 19 and received a positive test result on Aug. 26. The person did not have public-facing contact. A Hale Ho‘omalu Juvenile Detention Facility employee last worked on Aug. 26 and received a positive test result Aug. 27. The person did not have contact with juveniles housed at the facility. A Hoapili Hale employee, who was asymptomatic and took the test as a requirement for a new job, last worked on Aug. 31 and received a positive test result that night. The person has worked in the courtroom, always wearing a mask and adhering to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidelines. Coworkers with close prolonged contact with the three affected individuals were notified, advised to self-quarantine and seek guidance from their medical providers. They will return to work when medically appropriate to do so. 

Cleaning and disinfecting of the affected areas of Hale Ho‘omalu and the Traffic Violations Bureau has already been completed. The Second Circuit (Maui) Fourth Division chambers and courtroom are closed Tuesday for thorough cleaning and disinfecting. In all cases, the Judiciary confers with DOH to ensure appropriate steps are taken with respect to employees and its facilities. There are now 10 confirmed positive cases for Judiciary employees statewide – eight on O‘ahu, one on Hawai‘i Island, and one on Maui.  

https://www.courts.state.hi.us/news_and_reports/2020/09/maui-and-oahu-judiciary-employees-test-positive-for-covid-19

Hawai‘i State Senate: 

Special Committee to Assess State’s Unemployment Insurance Program

A Senate special committee on COVID-19 is set to convene at 1:00 p.m. Wednesday, to assess and advise the Senate regarding the current status of the State’s unemployment insurance program. Additionally, they will also get an update on the rollout of the Safe Travels application, which launched Tuesday, Sept. 1, 2020. The special committee will meet with both Department of Labor and Industrial Relations’ Acting Director Anne Eustaquio, and Office of Enterprise Technology Services: Chief Information Officer Douglas Murdock. The meeting will be available for live viewing on ‘Olelo Channel 49. It will also be streamed live: https://olelo.granicus.com/player/camera/9?publish_id=88&redirect=true

Hawai‘i COVID-19 Joint Information Center

Helpful Resources

To report violators:  https://www.kauai.gov/KPD-Online-Reporting

To report violators: (808) 244-6400 or [email protected] 

To report violators:

Non-emergency line (808) 935-3311 

  • City & County of Honolulu

Interisland passengers arriving on O‘ahu are not subject to the mandatory quarantine. 

To report violators: 808-723-3900 or [email protected] 

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PDF: COVID-19 Daily News Digest September 1, 2020