COVID vaccines for children younger than 5 starts Saturday on Kauaʻi
HONOLULU — Kaua‘i Medical Clinic-Pediatrics Clinic will be one of the Hawai‘i Pacific Health sites offering the Pfizer’s three-dose COVID-19 vaccine for children ages 6 months through 4 years old.
Kauaʻi COVID cases dip slightly; test positivity rate rises
LIHU‘E — Kaua‘i County’s COVID-19 case count remains elevated, but down from last week’s seven-day average.
County marks high school graduations; higher case counts
LIHU‘E — Kaua‘i high schools will hold in-person graduation ceremonies tonight, as the county records another COVID-19 fatality and a rising case count.
CDC advises masking indoors for Kaua‘i
LIHU‘E — The federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has increased Kaua‘i County’s COVID-19 community level to “high.”
Hawaii public school students to remain masked for summer
HONOLULU — Public school students in Hawaii will be required to wear masks while indoors for summer classes and related activities.
Kaua‘i test positivity rate highest in State
LIHU‘E — Kaua‘i County’s test positivity rate is the highest in Hawai‘i, as COVID-19 case numbers increase throughout the State.
71 COVID patients in Hawaii hospitals considered manageable
HONOLULU — There are currently 71 people statewide hospitalized with COVID-19, including five in intensive care units. Less than a month ago, there were no coronavirus cases in intensive care, Hawaii News Now reported.
Kaua’i monitoring clusters, rising case counts
LIHU‘E — The state Department of Health’s Kaua‘i District Health Office is monitoring a number of COVID-19 clusters, two weeks into a rise in local case counts.
China’s zero-COVID restrictions curb May 1 holiday travel
BEIJING — Many Chinese are marking a quiet May Day holiday this year as the government’s zero-COVID approach restricts travel and enforces lockdowns in multiple cities.
New COVID death ‘somber reminder’ pandemic persists
LIHU‘E — A 70-year-old Kaua‘i man has died of COVID-19 and local case numbers have more than doubled, Mayor Derek Kawakami reported Thursday.
More Beijing classes go online in tightening of virus rules
BEIJING — Beijing shifted more classes online Thursday in a further tightening of COVID-19 restrictions, as China’s capital seeks to prevent a wider outbreak.
Hawaii shifts from treating COVID pandemic like an emergency
HONOLULU — Hawaii’s top public health officials said Wednesday that the COVID-19 pandemic is still active but is moving into a new phase of the disease, in which people can test themselves at home and ideally avoid serious illness thanks to vaccination and the use of therapeutic treatments.
Antiviral pills to fight severe COVID available in Hawaii
HONOLULU — Hawaii doctors, like physicians elsewhere in the U.S., have been prescribing antiviral pills to COVID-19 patients with mild-to-moderate symptoms of the disease. But only those at high risk of developing severe illness are eligible to receive the drugs.
Afraid to fly with unmasked passengers? Call your airline
DALLAS — Airlines say they are offering options — including refunds in some cases — for people worried about flying now that other passengers aren’t required to wear face masks.
Weekly COVID cases rising on Kaua’i
LIHU‘E — COVID-19 cases are rising on-island, statewide and nationally, the County of Kaua‘i reported Thursday.
Hawaii ends free COVID-19 testing program as cases rise
HONOLULU — Hawaii’s coronavirus positivity rate has more than doubled in the last month as mask mandates ended and demand for tests dropped.
Moving beyond masks: Biden toils to put pandemic behind him
WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden’s administration has been working for months to prepare people to rethink their personal risk calculations as the nation gets used to the idea of living with an endemic COVID-19.
Shanghai allows 4 million out of homes as virus rules ease
BEIJING — Shanghai allowed 4 million more people out of their homes Wednesday as coronavirus rules that shut down China’s largest city eased and some factories resumed operation.
Japan approves Novavax as 4th COVID vaccine amid new surge
TOKYO — Japan’s health ministry on Tuesday formally approved Novavax’s COVID-19 vaccine, a fourth foreign-developed tool to combat the infections as the country sees signs of a resurgence led by a subvariant of fast-spreading omicron.
Agencies monitoring Hawaii wastewater for COVID-19
HONOLULU — Federal authorities have begun monitoring Hawaii wastewater for COVID-19, while the state expects its own monitoring program to be fully operational this summer, officials said.