The State Department of Health confirmed 215 new COVID-19 cases in the State.  That brings the state to 4,699 active cases of COVID-19, of which 4,472 are on O’ahu.  This morning, Honolulu Mayor Kirk Caldwell held a press conference, joined by Gov. David Ige, Lt. Gov. Dr Josh Green, and Jerome Adams, the Surgeon General of the United States.   O’ahu will be under a “stay at home, work at home” order effective Thursday at 12:01 a.m., and Adams announced that the Federal Government is standing up a mass testing program for COVID-19, mostly on O’ahu, but also in Pahoa.  He said he wants everybody to get tested, and they are prepared to do 5,000 tests a day, using an on-site, self-administered nasal swab that is more comfortable than the deep nasal swab.    Click here for a previous story about the orders and the testing.

In the press conference, Lt. Gov. Green said there are now 270 COVID-19 patients in the hospital statewide.  On the Big Island, Hilo Medical Center as of Monday had 10 COVID-19 patients, with 4 in the Intensive Care Unit.

The Big Island has 11 more cases than on Monday.  According to State DOH, the number of active cases has now skyrocketed to 74 cases.  There are 209 cumulative cases.    A State DOH map indicates that within the last 28 days, the Hilo zip code 96720 has added more than 51 cases in the last 28 days.   County Civil Defense has said that many of the cases are the result of large gatherings, especially around memorial services held in Hilo and Puna at the end of July for a well-known musician.

The mass federal testing includes several sites on O’ahu and one on Kaua’i, and on the Big Island, Pahoa Village Pharmacy, 15-2660 Pahoa Village Rd #205, Pahoa.  Go online to https://www.doineedacovid19test.com/ to schedule a test or go to the Pahoa Village Pharmacy to inquire.

Kaua’i again had no new cases, Maui County added 3, and the rest–201–are new O’ahu cases.

The State’s detailed report: