Hawaii is heading into unchartered territory on new virus cases the past two weeks, while still low compared to other states. But, with that said, the virus reproduction rate here has become the highest in the US.
This rate tracks the average number of people who become infected by one person. When below 1.0, it is said to be slowing. As of today, Hawaii is 1.39. This was pointed out to us by long-time Kauai resident and Beat of Hawaii friend, physician Dr. Robert Weiner.
The head of Hawaii’s testing sites, Scott Miscovich, MD, said “We (Hawaii) are super-spreaders… There’s evidence that Hawaii’s higher reproduction rate is growing more problematic.” Miscovich also said, “Two weeks ago, we could get test results in a day or two; now it’s been pushed back to four days or more.”
Issues in Hawaii also include poor contact tracing in addition to inadequate testing, which may be tied to inadequacies of the controversial Hawaii Health Department. In that regard, U.S. Representative Tulsi Gabbard has suggested both department heads Sarah Park and Director Bruce Anderson, resign for lack of an effective policy on testing and home isolation management.
As you know, in order to slow the growing number of cases, Governor Ige announced a 14-day mandatory quarantine for all inter-island arrivals starting tomorrow.
Controversy at Hawaii Health Department.
The Hawaii state epidemiologist is Dr. Sarah Park, who has been widely criticized by the state’s medical community. Her responsibilities include the investigation of infections, disease mapping, testing, and prevention. She also is the chief advisor to the state and county governments.
On a less controversial note, Park previously admonished, “Unfortunately, I think we’re looking at COVID-19 being a part of our lives for probably the next few years at the very least. It’s going to be a new normal — that’s what I’m advising.”
She has been frequently criticized for the lack of community testing, inadequate availability of data, and her handling of important relationships and communications. Park’s decision to test only people with symptoms, for example, created much concern among the Hawaii medical community. A prior audit of the department criticized her lack of a communications plan for disease outbreaks among other things. Dr. Park is also critiqued as being condescending, isolated, and not open to differing viewpoints.
Dr. Miscovich has said that far more widespread testing of Hawaii residents is essential, which is contrary to Park’s plans. According to Dr. Park, however, “No amount of testing is going to stop the infection but social distancing will stop the infection, and so that’s what I advise.”
Here on Kauai, the mayor, Derek Kawakami, has often gone his own direction and relies on the county health officer in his decision-making. He has repeatedly called for more access to Park’s public health data. “I feel that I have a better connection with people that may be affected…I could get on the phone and talk to them.” The Kauai mayor has not been provided with such contact information by the state, however.
Just ousted Big Island Mayor Harry Kim said he felt like he hadn’t been properly supported by the department in how to help his community. “There are a lot of people you talk to like that, especially someone in her position, where the relationship doesn’t begin good and it ends worse.” He said that the state Health Department has been too slow to help.
Representative Gabbard addressed the health department, saying “Anderson and Park are either grossly out of touch or extremely negligent.” She called for head Bruce Anderson and Park to resign or be fired and Lieutenant Governor Josh Green, an emergency room physician on the Big Island, to replace them. Gabbard concluded, “I do not say this lightly, but our lives and the lives of our loved ones are at stake, and I cannot remain silent.”
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Could you please tell me if the testing requirement that replaces the quarantine requirement is still in effect to take place September first? I’ve had reservations to visit my daughter for September 3. Thanks so much
Hi Debbie.
We will be publishing an update on this today.
Aloha.
I have been trying to keep updated on the status of the pandemic in Hawaii. My husband an I have a planned trip to Maui in November for our 42nd wedding anniversary and we are trying to keep up with what is going on there. We appreciate all of the information that we read in these posts. Do you foresee having the 72 hour results for testing to remain in effect through that time? Thank you. Judy M.
Hi Judy.
We hope that testing to avoid quarantine will be in effect by that time. We aren’t sure at this point. Stay tuned for updates.
Aloha
The surge in COVID-19 cases means nothing. Because we’re testing so much, of course the number of cases is increasing. But the death rate is plummeting into non-epidemic territory. It’s more important to know how serious they are. How many are asymptomatic or mild, and how many were found in tests or doctor/ER visits?
Aruba figured this all out long ago with a fraction of the resources Hawaii has been given. From the web:
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Aruba continues to implement an aggressive testing policy and COVID cases amongst tourists remain extremely low,” Asjoe-Croes said. “Aruba continues to be one of the [countries] least impacted by COVID in the Caribbean.”
Travelers who choose to get tested at the airport will have to quarantine for up to 24 hours while awaiting results (which take an average of six to eight hours to come back). Anyone who tests positive will be placed in isolation until they test negative, she said.
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Can anyone explain why Hawaii hasn’t implemented this system?
Everybody loves a scapegoat–and there is plenty of blame to go around in Hawaii–but the consensus certainly seems to be that at least one if not both of them have contributed greatly to the bungled and hampered state and local responses to the virus. This will undoubtedly cost Hawaiian lives–and untold billions in revenue to the state, local businesses, and employees.
So, why not go another direction sooner than later? I mean, they can still be promoted and given raises–the normal Hawaiian State Government thing to do in situations like these–but how about we form a coronavirus brain trust / task force of the best and brightest minds we can find on the islands–which would exclude everyone already working for the government and all of the elected officials as well. Let’s get some people on the case that actually have their heads out of their asses and give a damn about solving some of these problems.
But, no… that won’t happen. Because that would be the smart thing to do. And as Hawaiian has proven time and time again… they’ rather do the dumbest thing instead.
Amazing there are still people floating the anti mask /it’s just a flu rant around.
Next time you have to go for surgery you’ll notice everyone in the room wears a mask….try tell them
to go ahead and remove the mask if they want ……
what I don’t get is virtually the entire scientific and medical communities say if everyone wore a mask it would slow the spread of the virus. No one is saying it’s foolproof, just that it’s a big deterrent that would save lives……..
Yet the anti maskers seem to think their opinion and need to be right is so strong it outweighs the common courtesy of not caring about potentially spreading a virus that could kill someone, of not wanting to contribute to the common good of all…….
How did our society become so callous and narcissistic?
While I’m upset that it appears Hawaii has succumbed to some petty politics, there really has been no leadership from the White House at all. Trump has been awful. If he could have stood up and simply said this is a serious situation, we are all Americans and in this together and now is not the time for petty politics but action we would have been so much better off. Instead he just divided us and insulted our intelligence Auwe
I guess I answered my own question in the previous paragraph
Sticking my head in the sand? You would take care of the virus by allowing Hawaii to open as it was before this situation. Hawaii would then spike like the mainland. People would be at work and die. You wouldn’t mind seeing thousands die. Inhabitants and visitors alike. You should meet with Governor Ige and advise him how to manage the virus and put people back to work. Of course you would be aware that thousands would be infected; however; those who survive would be happy and working. You are indeed brilliant.
We’re now paying the airlines to actively spread the virus coast to coast, as overbooked planes shuttle potentially sick or asymptomatic passengers around the country.– I miss yearly trips with my son who is under 30. I fully support The Governor and his way of protecting the islands. So many governors have attempted to open slowly….and then the numbers spike and they close up again. When will our elected officials get the message….STAY AT HOME and protect your family. My son and I look forward to returning to Hawaii and enjoy scuba diving.
Easy for you to say–you’re not stuck on an island in the middle of the Pacific–with no way on or off it without quarantining for two weeks–and with thousands of failed businesses and unemployed people–with a state government that was already $10,000,000,000 in debt BEFORE the virus.
Sticking your head in the sand and hoping everything will work out on is own is clearly not the solution to this or any problem.
Great article. Good luck getting rid of Sarah Park and Bruce Anderson tho. Our state is way too lax to make any sound decisions. Especially in a crisis. However I agree that Josh Green is the bomb and would get things done fast. How do we go about making that happen? Anyone?
Hi Lahala.
Thanks.
Aloha.
We have seen over and over on the mainland that COVID-19 will spread throughout the general population no matter what you do. The Hawaii draconian lockdown simply delayed it. If Hawaii had acted like South Dakota, you would have been over this in May. It just takes one or two flight attendants or pilots to bring the virus there, take it home to their family, and away it goes. Social distancing was a bad high school science project (Google it if you don’t believe me), and there are zero good studies that show that masks make any difference at all. Bad leadership and following daily bad CDC information has devastated this state. It makes me so sad. The rest of the US is now laughing at Hawaii and using you as our example of how to handle a pandemic totally wrong. You can’t run from this virus, stop trying! After 5 months, I still know of no one who has died from COVID-19 and only personally know of two friends who have officially had the it…a Southwest Airlines pilot and his wife. There’s your source… again, you can’t stop it.
Mark Kay M – I can ‘hear’ the passion in your words but you’re offering a very narrow view here. Your experience (not knowing anyone who has died and only knowing 2 infected people) doesn’t represent the truth of this pandemic. I know 3 people that have died and more than 10 that have been infected. And even that doesn’t tell the whole story.
And the rest of the US is not laughing at Hawaii.
Masks don’t stop the spread, they slow it. And that’s what is needed until there’s a vaccine.
Striking a balance between keeping the economy and our livelihoods in good shape is a hard puzzle to figure out, and I don’t have all of the answers. So I do what I can to help. Wear my mask. Ask people around me how they’re doing, and offer a listening ear when they’re scared and worried. I stay calm and practical. How we treat each other during crisis and uncertainty can go a long way.
We miss Kauai and will be back when the island is ready for us. Mahalo.
Hi Cathy.
Thanks.
Aloha.
Well said Cathy and nicely said. We are all stressed to varying degrees and the “anti mask/it’s just a flu” people are too.
It’s human nature to be in denial ( if I haven’t seen it first hand it can’t be true) and it’s human nature to want to be in control of a bad situation. Hence the people that are willing to buy into some of the conspiracy stuff floating around. It gives them something concrete to believe in no matter how fictitious it is.
Good on you for demonstrating a positive example of human nature.
Wear a mask, social distance and wash your hands and we’ll all get through this…..be kind to others and it will be that much easier.
Aloha all
Hi John.
Thanks again for your nearly 100 comments!
Aloha.
I can’t understand why, after 6 months and hundreds of millions in federal assistance, Hawaii still has no widespread localized testing and an insufficient contact tracing ability. This is going to spin out of control as it has in other locations and it was totally foreseeable and more importantly, preventable. There needs to be some accountability and change in the government as the incumbents seem unwilling or unable to deal with this crisis.
I feel sorry for the Hawaiian people as both their health and their economy are decimated.
Locking down does not work for covid-19. New Zealand has completely locked down for months went 102 days without a positive test today announced 4 new cases and expecting more. HOW?
In California due to mishandling of over 300,000 test results the top 2 heads for the Department of Public Health have stepped down. Gov. Newsoms appointed department head last 5 months in her position.
Japan is surging a country who was pointed out as handling the virus right.
And then there’s Hawaii.
Hawaii has played hide and go seek with covid for months. Wishing in one hand while the other fills with virus. Now that the virus hand is full it’s time to play the blame game.
Problem is covid-19 does not care it’s going to march on through Hawaii’s population. It won’t care if you’re native, transplant or tourist. It doesn’t care who’s senator, governor or in charge of public health.
Your super spreaders are young healthy under 40’s who since finding out covid won’t kill them have ditched their masks and social distancing. As the old saying goes the horses have left the barn. Good luck trying to catch them and putting them in lock down again.
At this point the best Hawaiian’s can hope for and demand is a ramp up of covid treatments, until a vaccine is available lock down your seniors and venerable.
Here in Denver the governor had the state take over the Colorado Convention Center with a 2000 bed makeshift covid hospital. Now has been scaled back to 250 beds. Still has not been needed per our governor. These field hospitals weren’t meant to treat seriously ill who needed ventilators. Instead, they are meant for to be the next step for patients who had recovered enough to leave intensive care. This way the hospitals would not be overwhelmed. You would think the Hawaiian goverment would set up something similar, and open up.
Social Distancing is what Works, also good hand washing and your basic good hygienic practices. Testing is useless unless symptomatic. Testing everyone is expensive and useless as tests can be inaccurate and results could change quickly. It seems that Parks is correct on this .
Where is the data on who is spreading Covid 19 from the contact tracers? I strongly doubt that it is tourists but more likely locals visiting gyms, bars and dine in restaurants, illegally gathering at beaches such as the 2 at Kawaihae on BI and not always wearing masks when outside of their home.
Hawaii should close all gyms, bars and dine in restaurants and require flight arriving passengers to have proof of negative testing in past 3 days or test at airport and quarantine until results obtained or agree on 14 day self quarantine.
Beaches & pools should only be open if strict social distancing is enforced.
Schools should only provide distance learning until the pandemic is better controlled. While children may not get very sick from Covid 19, they can be super spreaders with little to no symptoms.
Hawaii is on fire. New York and NJ were too, and they are experienceing relative calm now. I expect hawaii to level off and RT to go down soon. It’s going to happen anyway, Miscovich and gabbard will accept the credit, though they have absolutely no power over the virus. Park is not wrong, testing everyone delays the results. It’s a difficult situation for everyone.
Rep. Tulsi Gabbard- grandstanding. It’s so easy to say “make them resign” or “replace them!” Well Rep. Gabbard, replace them with WHOM? You point to the Governor and Lt. Governor to replace them, but who do you think will do far better?
You didn’t seem to fare too well in your bid for the Democratic nomination. And yet you feel you can lead the charge to replace these doctors at Public Health? Please don’t just shout what residents are saying. You’re a politician! Use your political influence for positive change, not just putting pressure to oust public servants! Perhaps it is YOU who should leave office over your inaction, no?
Auwe Rep. Gabbard. Auwe.
Everywhere worldwide that does NOT do a lengthy and complete shutdown has inevitably ended up complaining about their health officials. This is even true of places like Taiwan and Korea, places that we could learn from. Health officials worldwide are trying to balance the public’s health with the public’s non-stop insistence on doing unhealthy things. I suspect that equal numbers of people are telling Dr Park and Dr Anderson to protect public health and to protect the economy. This puts them in an impossible position. Because there is no economy without people, to me it makes sense to protect people first, to risk offending the partiers and gatherers and no-maskers in order to save lives. Children cry when they get a vaccine shot, not understanding that it may save their lives, and we are seeing similar behavior in adults today.
This is uncharted territory…not surprising the government is struggling to manage the situation
Hi. My name is Marty Buck. I read your updates on what going on, on all the islands. Thank you for providing these. Sine the mid-60’s, I’ve been visiting many of the islands numerous times over the years. Living in Minnesota, I’m sure you can appreciate how much I enjoy getting out of the Minnesota winters to enjoy Maui, Kauai or the Big Island.
I was hoping to be able to visit for our 45 wedding anniversary this year, but, our plans will have to change. Hopefully, we’ll be able to return next year.
My thoughts and prayers are with all of the small business owners on the islands. I hope they are able to weather the storm and reman in business.
Thank you for the memories and thoughts of future visits.
Hi Marty.
Thank you.
Aloha.
Given the missteps by our CDC and FDA at the beginning of the pandemic, and the serious missteps in testing development, it’s hard to place blame on administrators who have never had to handle anything like this since SARS and MERS. That being said, state governments should have had a plan in place for dealing with pandemics, or severe flu seasons, especially since Hawaii has limited bed and ICU space. So many administrators have suddenly resigned in various offices of government in Hawaii. Makes you wonder. But I hope they figure it out because our kids live there, and we visit several times a year.
On another topic, I’ve read several comments concerning the left or right wing “leanings” of those of you who run this website. I have no idea what your politics are, and I don’t care. You provide the most complete, and timely information available on what’s going on in Hawaii. That is very helpful for those of us planning trips in this difficult time. Thank you for your hard work. Keep it up!
Hi Lee.
Thanks for your nice words and your many comments. Best regards.
Aloha.
I’ve been cautiously optimistic on here all along while others have been pointing fingers at Ige and the state for poor management
of this pandemic. I’m afraid I’ve been wrong. A solid team of contract tracers is crucial to stemming the virus. Simple common sense and yet it appears the Governors office has dropped the ball and we are way short of contract tracers.
We could have had this under control by simply doing everything we could at the beginning.
We correctly locked down but haven’t followed though with staying on top of it……contract tracers and widespread testing as well hammering home the mask/social distancing and we would have been a model for how to handle this.
Ige and the DOH have let us down and unnecessary financial and heath issues are in the cards because of it.
We are fighting two fronts here, weak leadership and the conspiracy wackos…….
Well you all should have listened to Josh Green months ago. But too arrogant to deal with reality. Hawaii natives think they can control everything. But now you have a transmission rate over 1.3 and us in terrible AZ are well below 1.0 now. All it took was masks and closing bars. We have 24 hour turnaround on testing. And I just got a test vaccine (or a placebo) two days ago. Either way WE are making progress not going backward. And we just had a nice vacation at the beach in Mexico near us. Inspections, Temps taken, masks, sanitizer everywhere. Good luck Hawaii
I have a question. Is it still expected that later this week the governor of Hawaii will be issuing a statement about confirming or extending the present quarantine lifting on August 31? I have lodging on Kauai already booked to visit family, beginning September 3 and I’ve been waiting on my airplane reservation…Any light that can be shed on this would be very much appreciated!
Hi Debbie.
Yes, we are still expecting to hear something by the end of the week, as was indicated by the governor.
Aloha.
My own non-medical opinion is that it is too easy to blame elected officials. People need to practice social distancing and wear face masks. The officials are not spreading the virus.
looks like Hawaiians economy is going down in flames fast. While the leaders are totally Lost! Dubai,Alaska and every area that is unique has opened with smart leadership for the local people. Hawaii lacks that leadership!
Aloha,
Thank you very much for always providing the most updated, fact-checked information.I look forward to receiving your updates in my email box.
Thank you,
MN
Too bad there is not apparent agreement amongst the scientific and medical community that can translate to a workable public policy affecting residents and visitors. It seems Cong. Gabbard may be correct that changes are needed.
Thank you for all of the information, especially these past few months. We are currently scheduled to fly to Maui on 9/5 but know that won’t be happening. Up until now I’ve kept rescheduling based on the governor’s plans but this time I’d like to book a time that is actually realistic to be able to go. How early do you think is too early for a reasonable chance at it happening? January? Later?
Thanks for any insight!
Hi Tracy.
Thank you. We hestitate to guess these days, since it is like a crapshoot. We’ll hear more from the state within the next week and can only hope that will provide some insights.
Aloha.
It seems that Oahu is the hot bed. Has anyone considered allowing the direct flights to resume to the other islands, because of this? Rumor is that Oahu isn’t taking it seriously.
Yes, I was wondering that too. Why not allow travel between the other islands that have low cases? Also, then pretesting before travel to those islands would reduce the risk of travelers bringing it in. Pretesting would only reduce risk as there are already many people going to Hawaii and staying with family, etc. which causes increased risk of community transmission.