Hawaiʻi's COVID-19 test positivity rate has more than doubled in the past month. The latest data from the state health department also shows that 5% of hospital admissions tested positive for COVID-19.
Healthcare Association of Hawaii CEO and President Hilton Raethel said there are about 100 COVID-positive patients admitted in Hawaiʻi hospitals.
"The last time we had 100 COVID-positive patients in our hospitals was August of last year, and we have been as low as having less than 20 COVID-positive patients in our hospitals in the last few months," he said.
The community spread can also affect hospital staffing, but he said there is some good news.
“Since the beginning of this year, actually over the last three months, our total hospitalizations, or the total census in our hospitals, has come down and so our hospitals are not as full as they were a few months ago," he said.
"That means that 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 added.
Health officials advise the public to stay up to date on COVID-19 vaccinations, stay home if you’re feeling sick, wear a mask in public if you have symptoms, and test if you can.
This interview aired on <i>The Conversation</i> on June 6, 2024. The Conversation airs weekdays at 11 a.m. on HPR-1.
