The Friday morning, May 15, 2020 Johns Hopkins COVID-19 Dashboard at 6:33 a.m.:

Worldwide cases: 4,498,579        Worldwide deaths:  304,631

U.S. cases: 1,426,716     U.S. deaths:  86,228

Health authorities say COVID-19 is still a serious threat, and deaths are increasing.   But new cases are declining in 28 states, including Hawaii.    Nationwide, there were more than 30,000 new cases reported since yesterday, and 1,915 new deaths.  Relative to new cases, medical experts note that the new case count reflects cases that were tested perhaps a week ago.

Hawaii had no new cases reported on Thursday, the second time in a week with no new cases, and for two weeks there have been only low single-digit increases.  The case count stands at 637 (one case was removed in yesterday’s count), and 17 deaths.  Hawaii County has had 75 cases, but all 75 people have been released from isolation.

Screening and testing for COVID-19 are ongoing on the island, both as pop-up, one-day events (including today in Waimea, Saturday in Kapa’au, and Monday in Hilo), and ongoing.  There is also antibody testing, to determine if somebody had COVID-19 in the past.  In a discussion with Dr. Scott Miscovich of Premier Medical Group, he said he’s very focused on antibody testing to help determine how many people on the island and in the state have actually had COVID-19, whether diagnosed or not, and also how strong antibodies might be in those who were diagnosed.

Experts believe having a vaccine is key to really having the country fully reopen and get back to normal, since this novel coronavirus is something to which nobody has immunity and is highly contagious.  While President Donald Trump said the coronavirus may disappear without a vaccine, he also said the goal is to have a vaccine available countrywide by January, 2021.    On Friday, he announced what he called “Operation Warp Speed” to get a vaccine developed and approved, in a public-private partnership led by led by Moncef Slaoui, the former head of GlaxoSmithKline’s vaccines division, and Army Gen. Gustave Perna.  Slaoui will oversee the vaccine development.  Serna will manage logistics.  The President and other officials said the U.S. military will be mobilized to help in the effort.

Work has been ongoing to develop a vaccine for months, around the world.  Human trials have begun, involving at least two collaborations:  Oxford and AstraZeneca, and Pfizer and BioNTech.

Dr. Kizzmekia Corbett, a researcher with the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), is also working on clinical trials.

In an interview that aired Thursday morning with Maria Bartiromo of Fox Business, the President said he expects the country’s death toll –now at 86,228 — to rise to 100,000.