Hawaii Ranks 12th for Property Crime
Hospitalizations ‘decoupling’ from COVID counts as severity is not surging with cases
KHON: .. As Hawaii COVID case counts rise, hospitalizations are not going up at the same pace — a trend seen elsewhere in the world where the omicron wave hit before Hawaii. Always Investigating digs into the data and what it means for this phase of the pandemic.
COVID still needs to be taken seriously as even a fraction of people needing hospital care can become a big number when overall case counts balloon. But experts said the lessened severity of cases shows we are flattening the elusive curve.
With several thousand cases a day, Hawaii is bracing for a worst-case scenario if hospitals become overrun. Hospitalizations tend to lag positive counts as much as two weeks.
Yet, with more than 21,000 cases in just two weeks, the hospital count on Dec. 31 was 141 — 18 in ICU and 10 on ventilators.
“It does follow what we see on other places that have been exposed to omicron prior to us, like South Africa or in Europe,” explained University of Hawaii Manoa Professor Monique Chyba with HiPAM. “Hospitalizations are lesser than they were with Delta.”
The Hawaii Pandemic Applied Modeling Work Group (HiPAM) is a team of Hawaii scientists, mathematicians and epidemiologists modeling COVID trends. They show a sky-high projection for case counts that have been largely right-on, but hospitalizations are lower than even their most optimistic forecasts, and even they are wondering why….
When COVID first struck in 2020, our first shockwave was that summer, with a peak of 354 cases on a single day, followed weeks later by a peak of 315 hospitalized at the same time — an 88% correlation of that wave’s worst day of cases to its worst day of hospitalizations.
By Wave two in January 2021, a case peak of near 300 daily was followed by a hospital peak of 129 — just 44% correlation, thus representing a peak-case-to-hospitalization decoupling by half the last wave.
Wave three in fall 2021 saw hospitals were overrun with 473 peak hospitalizations that followed a 1,600 daily case peak — as bad as that was, the peak-case-to-hospitalization correlation had decoupled to 29%.
Wave four, the peak, so far, is 3,500 and 141 hospitalized. That is a peak-case-to-hospitalization correlation of just 4%. We are likely still on the upswing of this wave, and it is not clear how high it will go.
“We’re looking at a (case) peak by, I would say, the second half of January,” Chyba said. “And then with a little bit of lag, like by end of January, for the hospitalization (peak) likely.” …
read … Cowpox?
Hawaii records 4 new coronavirus-related deaths, 2,710 additional infections
SA: … Today’s new confirmed and probable infection count by island includes 2,085 new cases on Oahu, 195 on Hawaii island, 336 on Maui, 77 on Kauai, 12 on Molokai, three on Lanai, and three Hawaii residents diagnosed outside the state….
Health officials also said today that, of the state’s total infection count, 23,080 cases were considered to be active. Officials say they consider infections reported in the past 14 days to be a “proxy number for active cases.” The state’s total number of active cases increased today by 1,952.
By island, Oahu has 19,319 active cases, the Big Island has 1,284, Maui has 1,638, Kauai has 703, Molokai has 116, and Lanai has 20….
read … Hawaii records 4 new coronavirus-related deaths, 2,710 additional infections
State senate to hold hearing on University of Hawaii football program
SA: … The state Senate is conducting an online informational briefing regarding the University of Hawaii football program on Jan. 7 at 2:30 p.m.
There are two agenda items: “Budget and cost related to coaching staff contracts,” and “Issues relating to the transfer of players,” according to an announcement from the state Senate Ways and Means and Higher Education Committees.
The hearing comes amid extensive criticism of UH football coach Todd Graham and more than 10 players with remaining eligibility leaving the program, including two co-captains and many other starters….
read … State senate to hold hearing on University of Hawaii football program
First class action lawsuit filed on behalf of residents affected by Navy’s tainted water crisis
HNN: … The first class action lawsuit has been filed on behalf of residents affected by Navy’s tainted water crisis.
Attorneys Terry Revere and Michael Green filed the suit on behalf of all residents of military housing affected by the petroleum contamination — that affected 93,000 people on the Pearl Harbor water system.
The lawsuit doesn’t target the Navy specifically, but rather the companies that manage the housing complexes.
It was filed over losses due their failure to provide safe water to residents…
Attorneys said they rushed to get the lawsuit started, so military residents can join the class action before they leave Hawaii.
More complex litigation will come later for people who can prove their health was harmed by the contamination….
read … First class action lawsuit filed on behalf of residents affected by Navy’s tainted water crisis
Preview of Oahu Without Coal: HECO asks Oahu customers to conserve electricity after several generators go offline
HNN: … Hawaiian Electric is asking all Oahu customers to conserve electricity Friday night due to problems with several of their generators.
HECO says its AES coal plant is operating at less than half its capacity, and five other generators are offline or at low capacity due to maintenance and other issues.
Officials said the second and third largest generators on the system at Hawaiian Electric’s Kahe plant are offline or at reduced capacity because of a steam leak that occurred Friday and a mechanical issue.
Customers are asked to conserve energy especially between 5 p.m. and 10 p.m….
read … Preview
Most Japanese nationals want to travel to Hawaiʻi after the pandemic
HPR: … A recent online survey conducted by the Hawaiʻi Tourism Japan (HTJ) showed that the first destination most Japanese nationals want to travel to after the pandemic is Hawaiʻi.
The survey received nearly 14,595 responses, most of whom have traveled to Hawaiʻi previously. 64% of respondents said Hawaiʻi will be the first place they travel to.
Many Japanese residents are choosing to opt out of international travel because of the tedious process to re-enter the country. A PCR test must be taken prior to boarding the return flight, and again after landing. Then they must quarantine for 14 days.
Travelers arriving from the United States are required to quarantine for three or six days in a government-designated location.
Ayako Ishiwari, the marketing and administrative manager of HTJ, said, "They would like to come back. There are so many people that had to postpone their weddings in Hawaiʻi. They would like to return to Hawaiʻi to have their weddings….
read … Most Japanese nationals want to travel to Hawaiʻi after the pandemic
Star-Adv Editorial: How to Extract Money from Zuckerbergs on Kauai
SA Editorial: … there was public ire over Zuckerberg’s use of “quiet title” lawsuits in 2016 to force owners of several small uninhabited parcels within his Pilaa property to sell their land at auction. Though he apologized for the forced-sale attempt and withdrew as a plaintiff, Zuckerberg would work with a local resident with ties to the targeted sites to ultimately complete a forced auction and acquire about 2 acres embedded in his estate. Such maneuverings attracted headlines nationally — and stirred local-vs.-outsider sentiments, even charges of “neocolonialism.”
But the Zuckerbergs also have been positive community contributors. In March, the couple gave $4.2 million to a jobs program for Kauai residents who lost jobs during the pandemic, and in November, Kauai Habitat for Humanity said it received $4.85 million in affordable-housing grants for projects in Waimea, Anahola and Waipouli.
A statement from the couple said they operate “a working ranch, promote conservation, produce sustainable agriculture and protect wildlife and look forward to expanding their efforts.”
Such intentions would seem to align with public- interest goals. Whether and how they come to pass, though, will bear close scrutiny, as this influential couple carry out their strategic moves….
read … How to Extract Money from Zuckerbergs on Kauai
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