April 28-May 4, 2022 COVID-19 update: 10 deaths, 4,249 new infections in Hawaiʻi

The state Department of Health is reporting a COVID-19 count of 4,249 new cases over the past week, between April 28-May 4, 2022. This comes following a record high of 6,252 new cases reported in a single day on Tuesday, Jan. 18, 2022, during the omicron surge.

Cases have been trending up since mid-March, when 827 new COVID-19 cases were reported during the weekly tally.

• April 28-May 4, 2022: 10 deaths, 4,249 new infections
• April 21-27, 2022: 11 deaths, 3,370 new infections
• April 14-20, 2022: 17 deaths, 1,736 new infections 
• April 7-13, 2022: 8 deaths, 1,327 new infections
• March 31-April 6, 2022: 3 deaths, 1,194 new infections 
• March 24-30, 2022: 6 deaths, 1,187 new infections
• March 17-23, 2022: 5 deaths, 827 new infections
• March 10-16, 2022: 14 deaths, 1,092 new infections

Meantime, state officials announced a transition plan last week from emergency response to public health management. 

The Hawai‘i Department of Health transitioned from daily to weekly COVID-19 data reporting effective March 9, 2022. Case counts and vaccination updates are now published every Wednesday.

The latest weekly count includes 468 cases on Maui, 565 on Hawaiʻi Island, 233 on Kauaʻi, nine on Molokaʻi, 25 on Lānaʻi, and 94 out of state.  There are 2,855 new COVID-19 cases on Oʻahu.

The latest data represents a total of 6,655 “active” cases statewide over two weeks. 

Of this week’s 4,249 cases, there are 3,078 cases identified as confirmed, and 1,171 probable cases were added to the count.  The confirmed cases included: 2,069 on O‘ahu (+786 probable); 274 on Hawai‘i Island (+291 probable); 404 on Maui (+64 probable); 220 on Kaua‘i (+13 probable); nine on Molokaʻi; 17 on Lānaʻi (+8 probable); and 85 Hawai‘i resident diagnosed while out of state (+9 probable).

Hawai‘i’s COVID-19 deaths increased to 1,428, with 10 new deaths reported over the past week.

*Officials with the state Department of Health say that “because of the volume of COVID-19 cases and COVID-19 related deaths” going forward, the DOH “can no longer provide daily information including county of death, age range of the decedent, hospitalization status, gender, and whether or not the decedent had underlying conditions.” This information will be updated every Wednesday on the DOH Disease Outbreak Control Division data dashboard.

In Maui County, the seven day average for new daily cases is 40.7 per 100k; or 68 average over the last seven days. The countyʻs test positivity rate is 12.6%, and the statewide positivity rate is now 11.5%.

Statewide, with data through May 3, there are 62 people hospitalized with COVID-19, (down from a peak of 448 on Sept. 4), according to an update from the Hawaiʻi Emergency Management Agency. HIEMA statistics show six COVID-19 patient in the ICU statewide, and three COVID-19 patients on a ventilator. 

As of 9 a.m. on May 3, 2022, the latest data available, there were five individuals hospitalized in Maui County with COVID-19, below both the 41 reported during the height of the delta surge in August 2021, and the previous omicron high of 56 reported on Jan. 28, 2022. Of those hospitalized on Maui one vaccinated individual is in the ICU and no patients are on a ventilator.

*Note on ICU capacity:  The Maui hospital needs to have adequate ICU nurses to care for the ICU patients that are in beds and will staff up and down based on need. This means that although beds are listed as still “available,” staffing would be needed to accommodate occupancy. According to Maui Health, capacity and staffing statistics are not static numbers, and are constantly shifting throughout a 24 hour period, with staffing based on census/capacity. 

The new cases bring the cumulative total of cases to 252,654 (confirmed and probable) statewide, reported since Feb. 28, 2020.

The cumulative total of cases in Maui County is 27,047 confirmed cases over the course of the pandemic.  To date, there have been 914 confirmed cases on the island Molokaʻi, 652 on Lāna‘i and 25,481 on Maui.

There are 27,047 confirmed cases documented in Maui County over the course of the pandemic, plus an additional 4,265 probable cases, bringing the total cases attributed to the county to 31,312.

To date, there have been 1,428 COVID-19 related deaths in Hawaiʻi including: 1,058 on Oʻahu, 140 in Maui County, 189 on Hawaiʻi Island, 29 on Kauaʻi and 12 deaths in residents diagnosed while out-of-state.

QUARANTINE UPDATES:

COVID-19 Testing Availability on Maui:

Testing on Maui is available at the following locations:

• Lahaina: Lahaina Civic Center | Mondays and Saturdays, 8 a.m.-3 p.m.‍
• ‍Kīhei: 1280 S. Kīhei Road (behind Ace Hardware) | Tuesdays and Thursdays, 8 a.m.-3 p.m. ‍
• ‍Kahului: 348 Lehuakona St. (at Maui Marketplace) | Wednesdays & Saturdays, 8 a.m.-3 p.m.

Additional testing sites throughout the County of Maui are posted here.

COVID-19 Vaccination Availability:

The vaccine clinic at Maui Memorial Medical Center is available on Fridays from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. and from 1 to 4 p.m. to accommodate the booster shot appointments. Additional vaccine sites available during the month are posted here.

22nd COVID-19 Emergency Proclamation; and Maui County Public Health Emergency Rules Available online

• State transitions from emergency response to public health management
• Maui hospital visitor policy updated: two visitors allowed in most patient care areas
• Federal judge throws out CDC transportation mask mandate
• CDC extends travel-related mask mandate to May 3
• Hawaiʻi adopts CDC guidance, allowing additional booster for certain individuals
• Hawaiʻi’s indoor mask mandate expires March 25, 2022
• Safe Travels program ends March 26, 2022
• Maui Memorial Medical Center reinstates allowance of regular visitors
• Honolulu Mayor Blangiardi announces end of the City’s COVID-19 emergency orders
• Mayor repealing Maui County Public Health Emergency Rules, effective March 1, 2022
• Vaccines no longer required to dine-in on Maui, starting Monday Feb. 21, 2022