George Kahumoku Jr. Shares COVID-19 Vaccine PSA “Life is beautiful… Be safe”

Grammy and Nā Hōkū Hanohano award winner, George Kahumoku Jr. of Maui took some time this weekend to share a Public Service Announcement on vaccinations after loosing a friend to COVID recently.

He cited a recent CDC study that shows vaccinated individuals are nearly five times less likely to get infected, 10 times less likely to end up in the hospital with COVID, and 11 times less likely to die from COVID-19 than those who are unvaccinated.

“We’re all in this together as a community,” he said, reflecting upon some of some life lessons: “Nani ke ola” or “Life is beautiful,” and “e pelekana,” or “be safe.” He said, “look to the future and enjoy your life.” In the words of his friend, he said, “make a choice and get vaccinated.”

As case counts have escalated, Hawaiʻi has experienced an increase in the number of vaccine doses administered. The weekly vaccine count increased for four consecutive weeks as shown below:

• Aug. 21-27: 27,893 doses
• Aug. 14-20: 23,136 doses
• Aug. 7-13: 22,842 doses
• July 31 – Aug. 6: 20,006 doses
• July 24 – 30: 14,670 doses

A recent Hawai‘i Department of Health-commissioned survey “confirmed the need to make vaccinations more accessible for those who face health and social disparities, and that getting vaccinated can contribute to a person’s overall sense of mental well-being.”

The survey was conducted among 445 adult Hawai‘i full-time residents statewide to assess perceptions about COVID-19 from April 20, 2021 to May 3, 2021. Since the survey was conducted, the FDA approved the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 Vaccine, which is now marketed as Comirnaty. Anthology Research has been tracking resident attitudes and behaviors relating to the pandemic on a regular basis since April 2020.

Highlights of the survey showed that:

• Consistent with Hawaiʻi’s vaccination plan rollout, vaccination rates increase with age. Young adults under the age of 35 were the least likely to have been vaccinated at 55% while 92% of seniors say they have been vaccinated. 
• Vaccination rates are lower among less-affluent households. Among those living in households of under $50,000, 44% are fully vaccinated compared to 76% who are fully vaccinated among those living in homes with combined incomes in excess of $100K.
• Among the major ethnic groups in the state, Japanese (71%) and Caucasian (68%) respondents were more likely to be fully vaccinated than were Native Hawaiians (49%) and Filipinos (40%).
• More educated segments of the sample or those with a college degree (75%) were more likely to be fully vaccinated than were those without a degree (47%).

A full summary of the survey results are posted here: HawaiiCOVID19.com/TrackingStudy.

Multiple pop-up COVID-19 vaccination sites are available across Maui at various times and locations throughout the month of September. A complete list is available here.