The Hawaiʻi Department of Health will begin posting COVID data weekly instead of daily from now on.
Case numbers and vaccination updates will go up on the DOH’s online COVID dashboard every Wednesday.
DOH Director Dr. Elizabeth Char said the shift to weekly reporting allows for a more effective and sustainable response.
State Epidemiologist Dr. Sarah Kemble said one important factor is that an increasing number of people are taking COVID tests at home. Those results are not counted in the data. Kemble said hospital metrics are now more important factors in the department’s decision-making.
In terms of vaccinations, Kemble said weekly updates give a broader view of where progress is being made and where improvements are necessary.
The Hawaiʻi Emergency Management Agency announced last week that it would stop publishing data on its online dashboard on the weekends.
The new data reporting policy comes as cases counts have plunged from record high case numbers in January. All County level COVID restrictions on gathering sizes and vaccination requirements to enter restaurants have been dropped.
Face masks will no longer be required indoors beginning March 26, and the Safe Travels Hawaiʻi program will also be lifted on the same day.
As people begin to relax and return to their pre-pandemic lives, Health Director Char warns one part of the world is seeing a new surge of COVID-19 cases.
"We're still seeing a spike going way up across Asia, specifically in China. South Korea is just off the charts; about three-quarters of all the cases they've ever had of COVID have been in the past 28 days," Char said. "And likewise for Malaysia, Vietnam and some other areas in Asia. Japan has plateaued, but they're not coming down that fast. They're staying up about where their peak is, and ditto for Singapore."
There are currently 13 non-stop flights from Asia to Hawaiʻi.
The average test positivity rate in the state is 2.3%.
