#variant of concern

Hawaiʻi is averaging more than 300 COVID-19 cases per day over the last three days, as the state experiences a rise in cases involving the Delta variant.

The data is used to prepare for the next stage of the pandemic response by helping to better understand the molecular epidemiology of SARS-CoV-2 and how the virus evolves. This influences diagnostic protocols and provides insights on future vaccine development.

Health officials say more than half of the COVID-19 cases on Maui at this point, as identified through weekly reports, are represented by “variants of concern,” B1.429 and B.1.427.