The novel coronavirus, COVID-19, continues to spread worldwide, though in some countries, there are positive signs that the virus spread is slowing.  The Saturday morning Johns Hopkins COVID-19 Dashboard reports that as of 5:38 a.m., there are 2,274,800 confirmed cases of COVID-19 worldwide.  The reported death toll stands at 156,140.

In the United States, the Dashboard reports 706,856 confirmed cases, with 37,087 deaths.  The United States far and away has the most reported cases in the world,with Spain in second place at 191,726.    Spain’s population is just over 46 million; the United States has around 331 million people.

One of the challenges remains testing. The United States reports testing more than 3.5 million people, just over 1% of the population.  Despite federal officials stating there is adequate testing capability, most states report a shortage of some of  the supplies needed to perform the tests.   In Hawaii, the State Department of Health says there are not enough test kits and supplies at this time for mass testing, and suggest that in  general, only those with symptoms be tested.  The  exception  is if  somebody has had close contact with a person confirmed to have  COVID-19.

Another challenge is treatments, to help people who are seriously ill recover.  Although scientists and doctors report that many people have mild to moderate flu-like symptoms, those who are seriously ill would benefit from confirmed treatments.  One drug, remdesivir, is currently being used in a number of clinical trails, as previously reported here,  but is not yet approved for use and none of the trials has been completed.  Remdesivir was initially developed to fight Ebola, but did not prove effective.

Another possible treatment is convalescent plasma, using the blood of patients recovered from COVID-19 to possibly help seriously ill patients fight the virus.  People who’ve recovered from COVID-19 have antibodies to the disease in their blood, and research is underway to determine how it can be best used.

The Hawaii State Department of Health reported that  as of noon on Friday, April 17, Hawaii  has 553 confirmed cases of COVID-19, with 390 out of isolation, leaving 163 active cases under State DOH monitoring.  Hawaii Island’s count is 44, with 30 released from isolation.

The DOH is continuing to investigate an outbreak of 14 individuals (so far) associated with the McDonald’s at Kona Commons and in the  Kona Walmart, both of which are closed.   Anderson says the DOH does not believe customers who patronized McDonald’s at the two locations prior to them being closed are at risk.  State DOH Director Dr. Bruce Anderson said the outbreak began with one infected individual who came to work despite being sick.  The third Kailua-Kona location on  Kuakini Highway at Kalani Street is open  or drive-through food  ordering and  pickup.

Anderson and Governor David Ige and Lt. Governor Dr. Josh Green emphasize that social distancing, wearing a mask, frequent hand washing,  and isolating is the best way, for now, to stop the spread.  Anderson in a Friday afternoon media briefing noted that cases of influenza in the state are down, an added benefit to the measures being taken to stop the spread of COVID-19.