Hawaii health officials reported 37 new COVID-19 cases on Tuesday, including 24 on Oahu, seven on Maui, three on the Big Island and three residents diagnosed out of state.
The Department of Health reported Tuesday that six cases were removed as a result of “updated information.”
No new fatalities were reported. The state COVID-19 death toll is 418.
Approximately 210,250 COVID-19 vaccine doses have been administered in the islands as of Monday, according to the Department of Health.
Hawaii remains in phase 1b of its vaccine rollout plan, which includes seniors 75 and older, first responders and other essential workers. The third phase of Hawaii’s COVID-19 vaccine rollout plan is scheduled to launch in March. That third phase, 1c, will include people 65 and older along with other essential workers and people with underlying health conditions.
Federal allotment of COVID-19 vaccines to Hawaii has slowed in recent weeks but is expected to pick up in March, Hawaii News Now reported. Thousands of seniors 75-and-older are scheduled to receive their second dose of the vaccine in the coming days.
At least two people on Oahu were confirmed to be infected with a highly contagious variant of COVID-19 that originated in the United Kingdom. A health department spokesman said neither patient had a recent history of travel, meaning the virus is likely circulating in the community.
Statewide, 1.6% of people tested during the past week have been confirmed to have COVID-19. That figure was 2.1% for both Oahu and Maui County, while Hawaii County had a 0.7% rate of positive tests. None of the people tested for COVID-19 on Kauai during the past two weeks was confirmed to be infected.
Oahu is currently in Tier 2 of its reopening plan, but if it maintains an average of fewer than 50 new cases recorded daily for two weeks and its rate of positive tests stays below 2.5% for two straight weeks, residents could see the lifting of some restrictions and a move to Tier 3.
For more information, check this Hawaii Department of Health COVID-19 site or this state site, and the Hawaii Data Collaborative COVID-19 Tracking site. The Hawaii Emergency Management Agency also provides this comprehensive dashboard. You can also learn about our daily COVID-19 tracker here.
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