The Johns Hopkins COVID Dashboard for Thursday, October 29, at 5:24 a.m.:

Worldwide cases: 44,644,423   Worldwide deaths:  1,176,328

U.S. cases: 8,873,861   U.S. deaths:  227,897

According to the Dashboard, the reported worldwide case report increased by 541,329 in the last 24 hours.  Deaths worldwide increased by 7,276.

Several European countries are seeing large increases in COVID-19.  With concerns over hospital capacity for those who get seriously ill,  The European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control reports that all across the European Union there has been “a considerable further increase in COVID-19 infections and the current situation represents a major threat to public health.”

According to the Johns Hopkins Dashboard, the United States has added 83,655 cases in the last 24 hours.  That’s one of the highest daily case increases since the pandemic began.  In the last day,  the number of reported deaths from  COVID-19 increased by 1,033.

According to CNN, reporting on the White House Coronavirus Task Force’s update, North Dakota has the most new cases per 100,000 population this week. The states in the top 10 for new cases per 100,000 population are largely in the central and northern US: South Dakota, followed by Montana, Wisconsin, Idaho, Wyoming, Utah, Nebraska, Tennessee and Iowa.  States in the Task Force’s “yellow zone” (between 10 and 50 new cases per 100,000 population) include Vermont  are Maine, Hawaii and New Hampshire, plus the District of Columbia.  Thirty-two states are in the task force-defined “red zone” for cases, meaning more than 100 new cases per 100,000 population.

Fox News is reporting that hospitalizations for people with serious cases of COVID-19 are soaring in Maryland, New Jersey, Wisconsin, and other places.  But many of the cases are in younger people who are less likely to get seriously ill.  Medical consultant Dr. Nicole Saphier said the focus has to be on behavior change nationally–more mask wearing, more distancing.  Dr. Saphier said the hospitalization rate for COVID-19 is higher than for the flu.  She also said she likes to avoid speculating on when a vaccine will arrive, and noted that even once there is a vaccine approved for use, it will take months or longer to determine exactly how effective it is in the population at large.

Statewide, there are 14,834 total cases of COVID-19, with around 3,016 active cases.

The State Department of Health removed two deaths from the state’s death toll, having determined they were not related to COVID-19. The state’s official death toll from COVID-19 is now 213. That includes only 30 of the Big Island’s 42 deaths.

The Big Island’s total count is 1,238, with approximately 331 active COVID-19 cases.