Hawaii records 1,191 new COVID-19 cases, 4 more deaths

The Hawaii Department of Health today reported 1,191 new COVID-19 infections over the past week, bringing the total number of cases since the start of the pandemic to 369,914.

DOH also reported four more deaths, bringing the state’s coronavirus-related death toll to 1,748.

The state’s seven-day average of new COVID-19 cases remained steady at 180 compared with 182 reported on Dec. 7.

The seven-day average is based on an earlier set of seven days (Dec. 3 to 9) than the week-over-week infection count (Dec. 6 to 12) because cases from the most recent three days may not have been reported yet.

Actual numbers are also estimated to be several times higher since these figures do not include unreported home test kit results.

The number of cases per 100,000 in the state was at 12.7 compared with 12.9 for the previous week.

The state’s average positivity rate was also about the same, at 6.4% compared with 6.5% the previous week.

There were 55 COVID patients in hospitals today, with eight in intensive care, according to the Healthcare Association of Hawaii. For the week, the daily average of COVID patients per day dropped to 66 compared with 70 the previous week.

By island in the latest week, there were 830 cases reported on Oahu, 135 on Hawaii island, 129 on Maui, 65 on Kauai, and one on Lanai. Another 31 infections were reported for Hawaii residents out of state.

To date, 78.3% of Hawaii’s population has completed the primary series of COVID vaccinations, according to the Health Department. A total of 238,610 residents, or 21.4% of the state’s eligible population, have received the new bivalent booster.