The Johns Hopkins COVID Dashboard for Monday, December 7 at 5:26 a.m.:

Worldwide cases: 67,199,309      Worldwide deaths: 1,538,311

U.S. cases: 14,769,353   U.S. deaths: 282,375

According to the Dashboard, the reported worldwide case report increased by 500,811  in the last 24 hours.  Deaths worldwide increased by 6,823.

According to the Johns Hopkins Dashboard, the United States has added 158,986 cases in the last 24 hours.

In the last day,  the number of reported deaths in the U.S. from  COVID-19 increased by 1,028.

The COVID Tracking Project reports that 101,487 people were hospitalized nationwide with COVID-19 as of yesterday.   On the Big Island, Hawaii County Civil Defense reported on Sunday that 2 people are hospitalized with COVID-19.

In Sunday’s Honolulu Star-Advertiser, Hilton Raethel, CEO of the Hawaii Healthcare Association, wrote an impassioned op-ed noting that Hawaii, while low in COVID-19 cases compared to the mainland, is at risk for an increase.  Most of our cases right now continue to be spread within the community from people going to parties and gatherings or even eating lunch with co-workers in enclosed spaces, according to the State Department of Health.  Raethel says that the State was close to having its hospitals overwhelmed in August and September, but was able to use Federal CARES funds to bring in additional hospital workers from the mainland.  That funding stops at the end of the month, and Raethel urges us all to wear masks, avoid gatherings, and practice distancing, as well as wash our hands frequently.

Hilton Raethel