Hawai‘i Coronavirus Total Now 604: 3 New Cases, Maui Total is 112

The Hawaiʻi State Department of Health reports that there were 482 individuals released from isolation; and 68 cases that have required hospitalization.

Maui County’s count was revised downward by one case by officials with the state Department of Health for a total of 112 confirmed positive. Of the 112 cases in Maui County, at least 73 have been released from isolation, and 13 have required hospitalization.

UPDATE/CLARIFICATION ON MAUI’S REVISED NUMBERS: We asked state Health Director Dr. Bruce Anderson to clarify why the total number of positive cases on Maui dropped from 113 yesterday to 112 today.  He provided the following explanation: “I believe that was a re-designation.  As we investigate cases, we sometimes attribute the case to the wrong county.  The practice has been to identify the residence of the individual by county–and often is the case, a case is identified when the individual is not in their residence in another county.  For example, in a hospital on Oahu. And it’s very possible that was the situation.  The numbers are being adjusted regularly as we look at getting more information on travel histories, whether they were hospitalized and so forth. So, you can expect some changes to the numbers over time.  We of course are always trying to correct things if we find them to be inaccurate, and I suspect that’s the reason why that number was changed.”

Hawaiʻi recorded its 13th and 14th COVID-19 linked deaths on Friday.  Both were O‘ahu men who were over the age of 65 and had underlying health conditions.  One individual had been hospitalized since the beginning of April and had a travel history to Las Vegas in March.  Health officials say the infection in the other individual was the result of community-associated spread.

Maui County now has five COVID-19 related deaths.

• Maui reported its first COVID-19 related death on Monday, April 6, of an adult male over the age of 65 with underlying health conditions and exposure to travelers.
• The second Maui death was announced on Wednesday, April 8, and was an unattended death.
• A third death in Maui County reportedly occurred on April 7, but was reported in the state count on Friday, April 10.  The third case involved an elderly individual who was in the chronic care unit.
• The fourth case was confirmed on April 19, and was an adult male from Washington state in the 40-59-year age group who had no previous medical conditions. State health officials say the man’s exposure history may be travel-related.  The man had been hospitalized for an extended period in serious condition at Maui Memorial Medical Center.
• The fifth Maui case occurred on Monday April 20 and involved a man who had underlying health conditions. He had been in the hospital at Maui Memorial Medical Center since late last year.  This person’s death is considered related to the MMMC cluster.

57 Individuals in Maui Hospital Cluster: 

There is a COVID-19 cluster on Maui at the Maui Memorial Medical Center.  The state adjusted the Maui Hospital cluster count upward to 57 individuals under investigation, including 37 staff and 20 patients. The DOH’s investigation at MMMC continues and DOH officials say “it appears the outbreak may have been driven by a single healthcare worker who was allowed to work while ill.”

Other Highlights for Maui County:

A joint statement was released on Wednesday evening, April 22, from Mayor Michael Victorino and Merriman’s Kapalua restaurant confirming the location of the grouping from March, which consisted of three COVID-19 positive individuals and between 65 and 100 exposed contacts.

Two individuals from the Ka Hale A Ke Ola Homeless Resource Center on Waiale Road in Wailuku on Maui have been moved to a Department of Health quarantine facility after one of them tested positive for COVID-19 and the other is awaiting test results.

There’s also two home health patients with Hale Makua Health Services and a nursing home resident from Hale Makua Kahului that tested positive for COVID-19. The asymptomatic resident who had tested positive has completed the required 14-day quarantine and is still showing no symptoms of COVID-19, however, additional tests will be administered to confirm recovery. As for the home health cases, one client has been released from isolation and is recovering and the other client is in quarantine.

There was also a confirmed case of a physical therapy worker at the Kula Hospital who tested positive for COVID-19.  A total of 16 individuals who received care were tested and so far, no positive cases have been reported as a result.

The Maui positive count includes at least one resident of the rural community of Hāna in East Maui and at least two residents of Molokaʻi.

*includes presumptive and confirmed cases, data are preliminary and subject to change; note that CDC provides case counts according to states of residence.

†Isolation should be maintained until at least 3 days (72 hours) after resolution of fever and myalgia without the use of antipyretics OR at least 7 days have passed since symptom onset, whichever is longer.