Rapidly rising Hawaii COVID cases
For many weeks since mid-October, Hawaii’s COVID cases had been relatively low. Just from a glance at the epi curve chart, we’d estimate a rough average of 120-ish cases per day from mid-October until early December. Since then, cases have increased sharply. According to official data, on December 17, Hawaii recorded 876 cases.
At this point, thankfully, hospitalizations with COVID remain relatively low. According to Lt. Gov. Green’s update yesterday, 58 people are in hospital with COVID. In comparison, in late summer with the Delta surge, hospitalizations peaked at 448.
The vast majority of cases are on Oahu, which is the most populated Hawaiian island. It’s also the island with the most restrictive rules for being able to enter a restaurant, bar, gym, museum and nightclub as patrons must provide proof of either full vaccination or a negative COVID test within 48 hours.
The Omicron variant has been detected on Oahu, though it does not appear to be the dominant variant at the present time.
The increase in cases has caused some alarm with experts. The timing of this surge just before the busy holiday season is far from ideal.
USS Arizona Memorial tours disrupted
All boat tours to the USS Arizona Memorial in Pearl Harbor are suspended due to a damaged dock ramp. Officials do not know when repairs will be complete. For updates, check Pearl Harbor National Memorial website and the Pearl Harbor National Memorial Facebook page.
Though the boat tours are not operating, the national park remains open and is still worth the visit. With this pause, an article we wrote earlier this year is relevant – If you can’t get a USS Arizona Memorial reservation, can you still see/visit Pearl Harbor?
Sheila Beal
