Hawaii News Now

The state Department of Health says a highly contagious COVID variant is now spreading in Hawaii.

The state Department of Health confirmed Tuesday that the highly contagious Delta variant is spreading in the state.

In a news release, health officials said there were have been at least three cases of the variant — SARS-CoV-2 variant B.1.617.2 — associated with travel from the mainland.

Hawaii reported 20 new COVID cases on Tuesday and no additional fatalities.

The death toll from the virus in the islands stands at 513.

Meanwhile, the state says that at least 57% of Hawaii’s population is now fully vaccinated while 62% have gotten at least one dose.

The 20 new infections bring the total number of infections since the start of the pandemic to 37,387.

The state Department of Health on Monday reported the lowest number of daily COVID-19 infections since July 2020: just 14 new cases.

Repairs on a crucial 42-inch water main on Moanalua Freeway continued into the workweek Monday, prompting officials to urge drivers to plan ahead.

The repair work snarled westbound traffic over the weekend ― and had authorities urging people to work from home if possible to avoid gridlock during the Monday afternoon commute.

The state saw just 14 new COVID cases on Monday and no additional fatalities. The death toll from the virus in the islands is 513.

Meanwhile, the vaccination rate in Hawaii now stands at 57% of the population.

The 14 new infections bring the total number of infections since the start of the pandemic to 37,367.

Over the last 14 days, the state Health Department says there have been 513 new cases statewide.

Work on a damaged water main on Moanalua Freeway is expected to continue into the workweek.

Big Island police fatally shot a man in Hilo on Friday after he attacked them with a machete, injuring one of the responding officers, authorities said.

Gov. David Ige on Thursday suggested the state could drop all COVID restrictions even before reaching a 70% vaccination rate.

“If we see the case counts drop before we hit 70 percent, then that’s another way that we would drop all restrictions,” Ige said, in a news conference.

“It is about the virus activity, how much virus is circulating in our community, and what the health care capacity of our community is that would determine when the restrictions get released.”

That would essentially mean no more indoor mask mandate, no more travel restrictions and no more capacity limits.

The state has been averaging 47 cases a day for the past seven days.

It’s unclear how low Ige wants to see the case count drop before lifting restrictions.

As of Thursday, 56% of residents were fully vaccinated.

Previously, Ige said all COVID restrictions in Hawaii would essentially end when the state reaches 70% — and that he was confident it would hit that benchmark by the end of the summer.

However, he has also admitted that vaccine demand has dropped again.

He said the state is currently preparing for the 60% vaccination milestone. When that happens, trans-Pacific travelers who have been vaccinated in other states will be able to skip pre-travel testing and quarantine requirements.

Ige said in the next two weeks, the state will be ready to verify a person’s out-of-state vaccination status.

Kaiser Permanente will be ending its vaccination clinic in West Oahu this Saturday.