#covid-19 booster

“We encourage people to get the new bivalent boosters from Pfizer or Moderna because those are the only boosters specially designed to protect against Omicron subvariants. But Novavax is an option for those who can’t get a Pfizer or Moderna booster,” said State Health Director Dr. Elizabeth Char, FACEP.

The state Department of Health is recommending COVID-19 bivalent booster vaccines for everyone age five and older.

The Hawai‘i Department of Health is recommending the use of the first bivalent booster vaccines designed specifically to protect against original COVID-19 and the most common forms of COVID-19 circulating in Hawai‘i now, the BA.4 and BA.5 omicron subvariants.

The state Department of Health is reporting a COVID-19 count of 5,768 new cases, and six deaths over the past week, between May 5-11, 2022.

Of today’s 184 cases, there are 137 cases identified as confirmed, and 47 probable cases were added to the count.  The confirmed cases included: 90 on O‘ahu (+31 probable); 13 on Hawai‘i Island (+6 probable); 16 on Maui (+5 probable); 10 on Kaua‘i (+1 probable); one on Molokaʻi; 0 on Lānaʻi; and seven Hawai‘i resident diagnosed while out of state (+4 probable).

Of today’s 234 cases, there are 159 cases identified as confirmed, and 75 probable cases were added to the count.  The confirmed cases included: 98 on O‘ahu (+41 probable); 14 on Hawai‘i Island (+16 probable); 20 on Maui (+5 probable); nine on Kaua‘i (+13 probable); 0 on Molokaʻi; 0 on Lānaʻi; and 18 Hawai‘i resident diagnosed while out of state.

Of today’s 314 cases, there are 247 cases identified as confirmed, and 67 probable cases were added to the count.  The confirmed cases included: 161 on O‘ahu (+37 probable); 14 on Hawai‘i Island (+10 probable); 29 on Maui (+13 probable); 21 on Kaua‘i (+2 probable); three on Molokaʻi; two on Lānaʻi; and 17 Hawai‘i resident diagnosed while out of state (+5 probable).

There are now 44 people hospitalized in Maui County with COVID-19, surpassing the 41 reported during the height of the delta surge in August 2021. 

Hui No Ke Ola Pono announced it will host a booster shot clinic on Thursday, Jan. 20 from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the J. Walter Cameron Auditorium located at 95 Mahalani Street in Wailuku.

In Maui County, the seven day average for new cases daily is 469. The countyʻs test positivity rate was last listed at 23.9% on Saturday, Jan. 15, before a bottleneck in testing temporarily suspended reporting of this metric. For every 100,000 residents in Maui County, there have been an average of 280.0 newly reported cases per day over a seven day period.

The US Food and Drug Administration amended the emergency use authorization for the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 Vaccine today to expand the use of a single booster dose to include use in individuals 12 through 15 years of age.

Of today’s 214 cases, there were 212 cases identified as confirmed, and +2 probable cases were added to the count.  The confirmed cases included: 170 on O‘ahu (-1 probable); 25 on Hawai‘i Island (-2 probable); four on Maui (+5 probable); six on Kaua‘i; and seven Hawai‘i residents diagnosed while out of state.

Thirteen members of the Maui deaf community received COVID-19 booster shots and two others got their first vaccine dose Monday in a vaccination event coordinated by Maui Economic Opportunity’s Maui Independent Living Center.

There were 138 additional COVID-19 cases in Hawai‘i on Friday. The latest data represents a total of 1,428 “active” cases statewide over two weeks. Maui County’s seven day average of cases peaked at 57.6 per 100,000 on Aug. 25, and has been on a steady decline since the beginning of September, dropping to 6.8 per 100,000 today.

Statewide, there were 78 people hospitalized with COVID-19, including three on Maui.

Kupuna can get the latest information on COVID-19 and vaccine booster shots from University of Hawaiʻi Geriatrician Dr. Aida Wen and Health Department Outreach Specialist C.J. Johnson at a free webinar on Oct. 15 at noon.

Maui Health will begin providing booster shots of the Pfizer vaccine to eligible individuals beginning Monday, Sept. 27.  This is in addition to current vaccine administration of providing first, second and third doses to eligible residents.

The Hawai‘i Department of Health has authorized Pfizer booster doses, with prioritization to those who have not yet received a first and second dose over any booster. The department is also recommending priority to kupuna ages 65 years and older, and those between 50 and 64 who have underlying medical conditions.

The CDC Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices voted on Thursday to recommend booster shots for people 65 and older and others with underlying medical conditions, but it has not said yet whether it will follow the advisory committee’s recommendations.

Hawaiʻi State Epidemiologist Dr. Sarah Kemble answered media questions on Tuesday afternoon about today’s COVID-19 count, pediatric and breakthrough cases, the mu variant and booster shots. During a brief Zoom update, state health officials provided some updates on what we’re seeing now and what we can expect in the weeks ahead.