The state has added only 80 new confirmed cases of COVID-19, bringing the state’s total to 10,779 .  There are just under 7,000 active cases.

There are 7 new cases on the Big Island, bringing the island’s total to 594, with around 261 active.   The “active” number is the total case count minus those released from isolation — 320 today, minus those who have passed away.

Thirteen people on the island have died from COVID-19, 12 of whom were residents at the Yukio Okutsu Veterans Home.  Only 3 of the deaths are included in the State’s chart below.  The Department of Health says it needs to confirm the deaths and details before they add the deaths to the chart.

Up until now, there has been confusion about the numbers of new cases on the island, as Hawaii County Civil Defense was often using numbers that were different from the State’s numbers released at noon.  Today, Hawaii County Civil Defense Director Talmadge Magno announced that from now on, Hawaii County Civil Defense will release its announcement and numbers in the mid-morning, when the State’s numbers are available, and they will use the State’s numbers.

This morning in the State House Select Committee on COVID-19, Dr. Mark Mugiishi of HMSA said the positivity rate of COVID-19 in the state is decreasing.  At its best, it was around 2%.  At its worst, it was around 14%, and now is back to 6% and trending downward.    According to the State Department of Health Lab Testing report, in Hawaii County the positivity rate is between 2% and 4%.  Lt.Gov. Dr. Josh Green, working from home as he has COVID-19, said today’s test numbers statewide were 3.4% positive.  That’s a good thing.

Mugiishi also said the number that indicates spread in the community indicates the State is doing well.  If the number is 1, that means somebody with COVID-19 will spread it to one person.  Higher, it can spread exponentially, and at the state’s highest indicator, at 1.4, which was the worst in the nation, it meant the virus was spreading widely.  Today, that number is .8, meaning, with the O’ahu shutdown and county restrictions, the virus is being brought under control.

There continue to be concerns about contact tracing, which all health experts say is critical to stopping the spread of the virus, along with testing.  Today in a story written by Nancy Cook Lauer, West Hawaii Today and the Hawaii Tribune Herald reported on two COVID-19 victims who said they had been contacted what they felt was too late by State Department of Health for contact tracing, and then that State DOH did not do full contact tracing outside of the victims’ immediate families.  Many companies and health care facilities on the island are essentially doing their own contact tracing, and successfully advising people who’ve been in contact with others that they need to get tested and/or isolate.

Hawaii County Mayor Harry Kim has taken over Aunty Sally’s Luau Hale to create a COVID-19 Control Center and says as it opens,  he believes this will help address the virus on this island.

Below is the State’s noon update: