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Hawaii Updates: Cases Stand At 106; Convention Center, Blaisdell Eyed For Care Sites

Dino Buchanan/U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
A U.S, Army Corps of Engineers team surveys the Kamehameha Room of the Hawaii Convention Center for possible conversion for care facilities as part of the preparations for an expanded coronavirus outbreak.

Updated: 3/26/20, 12:25 p.m.

Hawaii's coronavirus case count now stands at 106, according to the state health department's latest update. The number represents an increase of 11 cases from yesterday. Oahu has 77 cases, Maui 14, Kauai 5 and the Big Island 5. 

Three cases are pending results and two residents were diagnosed out of state. 

Seven of the total cases have required hospitalization. There are no locally reported fatalities from COVID-19.

Army reviewing Convention Center, Blaisdell for possible care sites

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is surveying spaces in the Hawaii Convention Center and Neal S. Blaisdell Center for possible conversion to care facilities in preparation for the spreading coronavirus outbreak.

The Army said in a news release that a technical survey team looked at the convention center's Kamehameha Room and the Blaisdell Center's exhibition hall yesterday. Tomorrow, the team plans to survey three Maui hotel sites.

"At the request of the state, we will be conducting additional site assessments in the coming weeks," said Lt. Col. Kathryn Sanborn, Honolulu District commander.

The planning for alternate care facilities comes as concerns grow about the state's limited hospital beds, particularly those in intensive care units.

"We are evaluating these spaces for capacity, access, as well as mechanical and electrical engineering requirements," said Jeff Herzog, the corps' site assessment team leader.

Why state doesn't follow South Korea testing model

As Hawaii's coronavirus case total exceeds 100, state senators want to know why Hawaii is not following the South Korea model in curbing the spread of the coronavirus. 

 South Korea drastically reduced the number of new COVID-19 cases over the space of about a month. One key step it took was widespread testing.

The state health department has been saying only those with symptoms of the virus and who are elderly or with underlying medical conditions should be tested.

See yesterday's updates: state stay-at-order in effect, death case is negative

State Epidemiologist Sarah Park told a Senate committee yesterday copying South Korea’s testing program would take a lot of resources. 

“First of all to support that level of testing would require then probably financing all the labs with high throughput machines, providing them with the laboratory staff and the reagents and all the supplies to be able to support that. So that's number one," said Park.

"Number two is then supporting all the efforts in the public health side with regard to contact investigations, sequestering isolating, and putting people in quarantine and maintaining that number three, it requires support to enforce that isolation and quarantine. Remember, this is not Korea, or one of the Asian countries with which is frankly much more authoritarian.”

Park says that’s why the state has been practicing quote “judicious testing.”

But Dr. Edward Desmond, who directs the state health department's laboratories division, says a new kind of test might allow people to collect a specimen at home. It could then be evaluated by reliable labs, expanding the availability of testing.

Blood Bank of Hawaii asks Oahu residents for help

The organization has temporarily stopped collecting blood on the neighbor islands due to COVID-19 concerns. That makes Oahu the sole lifeline for the state.

Blood Bank officials say they are fine on supply for now.

But due to the ongoing crisis – they’ll need to meet the demand from hospitals for an indefinite period of time.

COVID-19 can’t be transferred through blood, but the Blood Bank is taking special precautions…including pre-screening donors.

C-E-O Kim-Anh Nguyen says the Blood Bank will set up five pop-up donor centers.

"We have created shifts by appointment only for blood donors. The shifts are what we call our appointments. They are spaced out to ensure that no more than six, or 10, people/donors are at any Donation Center at any one time," Nguyen said. 

 

"Six feet apart, that is orderly and that it’s clean, and it also ensures that our staff have extra time to pre-screen donors, extra time to clean all donor beds in between each donation."

Nguyen said people wanting to donate blood can do so, even under the state’s stay-at-home emergency order. That’s because giving blood is considered an essential activity.

Every blood type is needed at this time, she said.

More information can be found at the Blood Bank's website.

This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.

Editor's note: We’d like to hear how you’re coping with the latest developments in dealing with the spread of the coronavirus. You can call our talkback line at 808-792-8217. Or e-mail us at talkback@hawaiipublicradio.org.

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