Hawaii COVID-19 Daily News Digest March 31, 2020 Posted on Mar 31, 2020 in COVID-19

Office of the Governor:

Governor Ige Extends Condolences to Family of First COVID-19 Patient

An older adult O‘ahu resident, who was hospitalized with multiple medical issues, is the first person in Hawai‘i diagnosed with COVID-19 to die. Gov. Ige, Lt. Gov. Josh Green, State Health Director Dr. Bruce Anderson, and Hawai‘i Emergency Management Agency Director Kenneth Hara all expressed sorrow for the loss of one of Hawai‘i’s kupuna and offered their condolences to the family. The exact cause of death has not been determined.

Additional Details on Interisland Travel Restrictions

Gov. David Ige today signed a fourth supplementary proclamation that requires all residents and visitors traveling between any of the islands in the State of Hawai‘i to self-quarantine for 14 days. Those who must travel to perform an essential function, including those providing and seeking medical care, will have to fill out and sign an Interisland Declaration Form, wear appropriate protective gear – primarily masks, and follow all social distancing requirements. The quarantine mandate takes effect at 12:01 a.m. on Wed., Apr. 1. Violations of this order could result in a misdemeanor with fines of up to $5,000 and/or up to one year in prison, or both. If you have questions about whether your travel is essential, please e-mail [email protected]

Craft Rum Distillery Producing FDA-Approved Hand Sanitizer During Pandemic

Last Saturday, a 55-gallon barrel of hand sanitizer rolled from the vat room of a distillery in Kunia, to staff and volunteers waiting next door in the tasting room. This is the result of Gov. David Ige and the co-founders of KoHana Hawaiian Agricole Rum organizing a local business hui to manufacture hundreds of gallons of U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA)-approved hand sanitizer for use during the current COVID-19 pandemic.

https://governor.hawaii.gov/newsroom/latest-news/news-release-hawaii-covid-19-joint-information-center-craft-rum-distillery-producing-hand-sanitizer-during-pandemic/

Video: https://vimeo.com/402014890

Department of Health:

First Death from COVID-19 Reported

The department is continuing to investigate the circumstances surrounding the death of an elderly O‘ahu man, who tested positive for COVID-19. DOH reports 20 additional COVID-19 cases today and all are adults. All but one of the cases are residents of Hawai‘i. DOH is also reporting the first positive case from sentinel surveillance. There are now 224 presumptive or positive cases of the coronavirus in the state.

DIAGNOSIS AND RESIDENCY AS OF 12 NOON MARCH 31, 2020

County of Diagnosis HI Residents Non-Residents Total Honolulu 146 (21) 6 (0) 152 (21) Hawai‘i 11 (1) 4 (0) 15 (1) Maui 21 (0) 4 (0) 25 (0) Kaua‘i 7 (0) 5 (0) 12 (0) Residents diagnosed outside HI 2 (0) 2 (0) Pending county of diagnosis or res. 18 (-) Deaths 1 1

Some counts may be higher because of cases previously classified as “pending” being reclassified to other categories. Data are preliminary and subject to change.

The majority of reported cases (194) are Hawai‘i residents, twenty (20) are non-Hawai‘i residents and ten (10) are unknown. 220 of the cases are adults and four (4) are pediatric.

UNIQUE INDIVIDUALS TESTED BY CLINICAL LABORATORIES

Inconclusive Negative Positive Total 7 8721 208 8936

https://hawaiicovid19.com

New case maps and epidemic curve graph posted online

DOH has posted new case maps and an epidemic curve of all Confirmed COVID-19 Cases by Residence and Exposure in Hawai‘i. The epidemic curve shows the number of confirmed cases by date of symptom onset indicating cases that are travel associated (residents and visitors), community, or unknown. The maps will be updated weekly and epidemic curve will be updated daily. The island maps show cases by residence zip codes and do not show where exposure or disease transmission is occurring. The maps provide information that could be used for planning county resources and where those resources may be needed. There are no cases on Molokai and Lanai at this time.

https://health.hawaii.gov/coronavirusdisease2019/what-you-should-know/current-situation-in-hawaii/

COVID-19 Awareness Campaign Featuring Frank De Lima Begins

“Stay Healthy, Stay at Home” is the title of a new campaign on TV, radio, newspaper and digital, encouraging adults, especially seniors, to practice social distancing and good hygiene to prevent further spread of COVID-19. DOH has teamed with local funny man Frank De Lima to use humor to empower people to take simple actions to protect themselves and their loved ones during this worldwide health crisis. De Lima—a senior himself—was a natural fit for the campaign, having released his “Corona, Corona” song about the virus woes earlier this month

View the public service announcements and get the latest info about coronavirus at HawaiiCOVID19.com/resources

Interim Guidance for Dental Service Providers During COVID-19 Response

To conserve personal protective equipment (PPE) and limit the exposure of patients and staff to COVID-19, the CDC recommends that dental service providers postpone elective procedures, surgeries, and non-urgent dental visits. Patients should be contacted prior to urgent or emergency procedures to be screened for symptoms of respiratory illness.

For further guidelines:

https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/hcp/dental-settings.html

Hawai‘i Tourism Authority:

Passenger Numbers Continue Dropping

Yesterday, 681 passengers arrived in Hawai‘i on the fifth day of the state’s 14-day mandatory self-quarantine for all incoming passengers. Of that number, 121 people were visitors, who must self-quarantine in their hotels or lodging.

Kona Maui O‘ahu Līhu‘e Total Crew 16 56 113 11 196 Intended Resident 41 41 Resident 12 14 219 5 250 Transit 5 68 73 Visitor 18 20 83 121 Grand Total 46 95 524 16 681 Flights 6 9 24 2 41

Department of the Attorney General:

AG Joins Coalition Asking FDA to Increase Access to Reproductive Tele-Health Care

Hawai‘i Attorney General Clare E. Connors has joined a multistate coalition of 21 attorneys general, led by California, in sending a letter to the Department of Health and Human Services and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) requesting that they increase access to reproductive healthcare, during the COVID-19 pandemic. The coalition urges the Administration to waive or utilize its discretion on enforcement of its Risk Evaluation and Mitigation Strategy (REMS) designation, which impedes women’s access to the medication abortion prescription drug known as Mifepristone. “During this COVID crisis, the federal government should remove barriers to critical healthcare,” said Attorney General Connors.

Read the letter here:

https://ag.hawaii.gov/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/FINAL-AG-Letter-HHS-Medication-Abortion-2020-9.pdf

Green Infrastructure Authority Board:

GEMS Loan Deferrals Approved

The Board of Directors of the Hawaii Green Infrastructure Authority (HGIA) has approved an emergency postponement of loan payments for GEMS Program direct loans and on-bill loans in an effort to lessen the financial impact of the COVID-19 outbreak on residents and businesses in Hawaii. The approval allows interested borrowers of loans under the GEMS Program to opt-in to defer payments for up to six months. For more information visit www.gems.hawaii.gov.

PDF: COVID-19 Daily Digest March 31, 2020

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