The state’s health director said Wednesday she’s “very concerned about New Year’s” celebrations and hopes people will act accordingly to minimize the risk of spreading novel coronavirus infections.
“We know what’s high risk,” Char said during a press conference with Gov. David Ige. “We know that indoors, crowded places, no masks, being in contact with people who are not vaccinated — we know those are all really high-risk things.”
“We are in the middle of a pandemic, and certain activities are just not compatible with a respiratory pathogen during a pandemic,” she continued. “I think it’s kind of fatalistic to just say, ‘Well, it’s here, and it’s just going to go crazy, and there’s nothing we can do about it.’
“We absolutely can influence this by our behaviors.”
Char’s statements were in apparent response to Honolulu Mayor Rick Blangiardi’s Wednesday statement that Oahu will not mandate any more restrictions on businesses as COVID-19 cases spike due to the highly infectious omicron variant of the virus.
Blangiardi, however, advised residents and businesses under his jurisdiction to voluntarily practice what he called a “soft lockdown.”
On the Big Island, Managing Director Lee Lord signed into effect on Monday a reduction of indoor gathering limits to 10 people from the 25 previously allowed indoors. Lord signed for Mayor Mitch Roth due to Roth’s mandatory isolation after testing positive for COVID-19.
On Wednesday, Cyrus Johnasen, Roth’s spokesman, released a statement saying Hawaii County is expecting the highest daily case count since the start of the pandemic to be reported today.
“Early estimates from the state Department of Health indicate the potential for more than 220 cases to be reported,” Johnasen said. “The highest case count to date was 206 cases, which was attributed to the onset of the delta variant. Although counts continue to rise, hospitalizations are stable islandwide. Currently, nine COVID patients are hospitalized, with four patients in the (intensive care unit) and one on a ventilator.
“Those numbers are down considerably from the peak of the delta surge, which had a high of 16 patients in the ICU, 12 on ventilators, and 69 COVID patients hospitalized in a single day.”
Johnasen said Hawaii Island currently is at 66% of the population fully vaccinated, with 71% having initiated vaccination.
Statewide, according to Hilton Raethel, president and CEO of Healthcare Association of Hawaii, the number of hospitalized COVID patients on Wednesday was 127. At the peak of the delta variant surge in August and September it was 436 patients.
“The greater infectiousness of the omicron variant of the coronavirus means we could reach that peak very soon, within just two weeks, or less,” Raethel said in a statement. “Even with breakthrough infections, most of the people with COVID in the hospital are not vaccinated, or boosted.”
Raethel said hospitals “are pretty full, even without additional COVID patients” and “are already seeing some of their own staff call in sick or having to isolate because of a potential exposure.”
According to Raethel, his nonprofit trade association for the hospitals and nursing homes is asking for more than 700 health care staff to be brought in and paid for by Federal Emergency Management Agency funding. The expected start date is Jan. 10 for the first group of staff.
Email John Burnett at jburnett@hawaiitribune-herald.com.