COVID-19 is at a “high activity level," showing red on the state Department of Health's respiratory disease dashboard. A positivity rate of over 14% puts Hawaiʻi in the red.
The DOH said the average positivity rate for COVID is now at 15.9%. That's up from 14.7% last week and around 4% in late April.
Emergency department visits are at 5%, up from 1% in late April.
Healthcare Association of Hawaii CEO and President Hilton Raethel said earlier this month that community spread can affect hospital staffing but total hospitalizations have decreased over the last three months.
"That takes the pressure off of staffing, so the fact that we do have some of our staff, or an increased number of our staff, going out sick, that is offset by the fact that our total hospital census, or the total patients we have in our hospitals, has come down a little bit," Raethel said previously.
Disease activity remains low for both influenza and the respiratory condition RSV.
DOH recommendations include keeping up to date on the COVID-19 vaccines, staying at home if feeling sick, and wearing a mask, especially if recovering from COVID-19 symptoms.
