Updated 1/6/21, 12:05 p.m.
People in Hawaii may be able to get the COVID-19 vaccine sooner than expected in the state s updated vaccination plan.
It has been a few weeks since vaccinations began in Hawaii. Frontline healthcare workers and those in long-term care facilities were first to receive them.
However, people over the age of 75 will soon have access to the vaccine as well as other essential workers that include correctional officers, emergency service dispatchers and teachers. The vaccinations of these groups are expected to happen now through March. The big picture on the vaccination plan is our kupuna. And those who care for our kupuna and keep our state going. That s the overarching principle of our vaccination program, Lieutenant Governor Josh Green said.
SANDY BAZ – Anticipates more cases
The COVID-19 cluster at Harbor Lights has inched up to 75 confirmed cases as agencies planned to deliver food and supplies to those in need at the Kahului complex today, a county official said Wednesday afternoon.
There will be on-site COVID-19 testing again today and the state Department of Health also has translators to assist with public education for those whose first language is not English, Managing Director Sandy Baz said during a county news conference. Hawaiian Airlines is flying the translators to Maui for free, he added.
“We do anticipate more positive tests coming from the Harbor Lights cluster,” Baz said.
Updated 1/6/21, 3:30 p.m.
Governor David Ige condemned the actions of protestors who stormed the U.S. Capitol in D.C. Monday morning, protesting the congressional confirmation of the presidential election’s result.
“It is an assault on our democracy and everything that our country stands for,” Ige said.
“Every state in this country has certified the election results. And we had unprecedented voter turnout. The nation has spoken and Joe Biden will be the next president. It is time for us to move on.”
The Ige administration said it’s monitoring demonstrations from President Donald Trump supporters in Hawaii that have continued through the week.
Updated 1/5/21, 2:40 p.m.
A Maui County employee, who works in the Office of the Mayor, has tested positive for COVID-19. Mayor Michael Victorino says the employee is asymptomatic and last worked in the County Building on December 31.
The manager of the Department of Health s District Health Office notified Victorino that close contacts with the employee have been notified by DOH contact tracers. Victorino says it is very unlikely that anyone not contacted by the DOH has been affected.
Victorino says the County Building will remain open, and has been professionally disinfected and will be sanitized again. Residents are urged to conduct business with the county either online, or by using the drop box in front of the building.
Updated 1/6/21, 7:36 a.m.
People in Hawaii may be able to get the COVID-19 vaccine sooner than expected in the state s updated vaccination plan.
It has been a few weeks since vaccinations began in Hawaii. Frontline healthcare workers and those in long-term care facilities were first to receive them.
However, people over the age of 75 will soon have access to the vaccine as well as other essential workers that include correctional officers, emergency service dispatchers and teachers. The vaccinations of these groups are expected to happen now through March. The big picture on the vaccination plan is our kupuna. And those who care for our kupuna and keep our state going. That s the overarching principle of our vaccination program, Lieutenant Governor Josh Green said.