Hawai‘i Has Three More COVID-19 Deaths
The Department of Health Disease Outbreak Control Division today reports three more deaths of Hawaiʻi residents from coronavirus.
One patient was an elderly Kaua‘i resident who died out of state, in Arizona. Health officials say the man had been receiving treatment for several months for underlying medical conditions.
Also over the weekend, a female died in an O‘ahu hospital Sunday morning and had previously been a resident of a care home.
An elderly O‘ahu man with underlying medical issues died July 7th. State health officials say the man’s death was added today after a review of his health history and discussions with his primary care physician.
State Health Director Dr. Bruce Anderson said, “We all extend our heartfelt sympathies to the family and friends of these three people. The best tribute to their lives and to the lives of all 22 people who’ve lost the fight against coronavirus, is getting everyone in Hawai‘i to take personal responsibility for their own health and the health of everyone around them.”
The state recorded 86 new COVID-19 cases since last Friday and says most are in previous clusters associated with “community-spread.”
A total of 44 cases are associated with a training activity at Hawaiian Airlines, in which a person infected during these meetings, is linked to a cluster of 20 cases involving two O‘ahu gyms, according to an update provided by the DOH.
According to State Epidemiologist Dr. Sarah Park, “This clearly shows how easily and quickly this virus can spread from person-to-person and from place-to-place when people are not practicing physical distancing, not wearing masks, not staying home when sick, and possibly not washing their hands frequently and thoroughly.”
Health experts urge individuals and the community as a whole to maintain safe practices and encourage others to do so to prevent the continuation of a spike in cases.
Saturday had the greatest single day number of reported cases (42) since DOH began tracking cases in late February.
Other clusters, where community-spread was identified as “clearly” being the cause of additional cases, are pau hana gatherings, businesses, urgent care and long-term care facilities, and household clusters associated with social interactions (birthday parties, Father’s Day, 4th of July and religious functions).
“While the majority of Hawai‘i’s residents are using safe practices, clearly there are some who are not, and frankly unless everyone pays attention, we’ll unfortunately continue to see illnesses and deaths associated with COVID-19. Personal responsibility is the way we’ll again flatten the curve and retain Hawai‘i’s leadership through this unprecedented public health crisis. The upward trend of cases not only impacts people’s health but will likely delay our state’s economic recovery,” Anderson said.
These three new cases bring to 22 the total number of COVID-19 related deaths reported in Hawaiʻi since the pandemic began. As of Sunday, there were 1120 total confirmed positive cases since the pandemic began with 311 active cases in the state.
Sponsored Content
