Hawaii News Now

The state Health Department is reporting 271 new coronavirus infections Friday and two additional fatalities.

The state put the official death toll from the virus so far at 81.

Strangely, that number does not appear to include three fatalities on the Big Island in recent days. Hilo Medical Center has been reporting those deaths, and all have occurred at a long-term care home.

The Health Department has not explained the discrepancy.

This is the 10th consecutive day that Hawaii has seen coronavirus-related deaths.

Of the 271 new cases reported Friday, 236 were on Oahu, 34 were on the Big Island, and Maui had one. The new figures push the statewide total for infections since the pandemic began to 9,473.

Of those, more than 6,500 cases remain “active,” meaning they haven’t yet been released from isolation. The state said more than 583 people statewide have required hospitalization since the pandemic began.

Daily, triple-digit increases of COVID-19 cases on Oahu in August prompted the city last week to issue a new “stay-at-home” order, closing non-essential businesses and banning non-essential activities.

That order is slated to remain in place for at least two weeks, though officials have said it could be extended.

Some Hawaii lawmakers are reacting after the Department of Health announced that state Epidemiologist Dr. Sarah Park is going on a leave of absence. Plus, the COVID-19 pandemic has left the University of Hawaii with a massive deficit.

The top stories from across Hawaii and around the world, as seen and hear on First at 4 p.m. from Hawaii News Now — hosted by Ashley Nagaoka and Mark Carpenter.

Hawaii reported four new COVID-19 fatalities on Thursday, pushing the death toll from the virus in the islands since the pandemic began to 79.

All of the deaths were on Oahu. No additional details on the fatalities were released.

Meanwhile, the state said there were 211 new coronavirus cases statewide: 190 on Oahu; 17 on the Big Island and four on Maui.

The new cases push the statewide total for infections since the pandemic began to 9,202.

Of those, at least 6,345 cases remain “active,” meaning they haven’t yet been released from isolation. The state said more than 573 people statewide have required hospitalization since the pandemic began.

Daily, triple-digit increases of COVID-19 cases on Oahu in August prompted the city last week to issue a new “stay-at-home” order, closing non-essential businesses and banning non-essential activities.

Hawaii ended August with nearly 6,400 cases and 44 deaths. By comparison, Hawaii saw 2,111 cases from March to July and 26 deaths.

Crews are shutting down the H-3 Freeway for another round of mass COVID-19 testing. Plus, HPD said crime trends are changing amid the pandemic.

Data that doesn’t match, moving averages that don’t make sense — the state’s reporting of COVID-19 is confusing even for scholars analyzing the information.

Hawaii saw an additional coronavirus fatality on Wednesday, bringing the death toll from the virus to 75.

There were also 339 newly-reported coronavirus cases.

Officials said 90 of those cases were “previously diagnosed” between Aug. 20 and 31, but results were delayed because of an issue “that has subsequently been corrected.”

Of the cases reported Wedensday, 302 were on Oahu, 35 were on the Big Island and two were on Maui.

Hawaii News Now has learned that some of the cases reported Wednesday include results from so-called “surge” surveillance testing happening around the state.

But officials didn’t say how many of the tests were “surge” tests, offered free to thousands in a bid to better understand the prevalence of the virus on Oahu.

The fatality Wednesday was on Oahu; no additional details were reported.

A new study shows that some COVID-19 patients may need to wait over a month before being re-tested to know whether they have cleared the virus.

Top stories from across Hawaii and around the world, as seen on the 5 p.m. news broadcast from Hawaii News Now.

Hawaii reported four additional COVID-19 fatalities on Tuesday, pushing the death toll from the virus in the islands to 74.

Three of the deaths were on Oahu while one was on the Big Island. Since Aug. 1, amid a surge in COVID-19 infections on Oahu, Hawaii has seen 48 coronavirus deaths.

And on Monday, seven fatalities were reported.

“We have seen an increase in the number of deaths in the past few days,” said Gov. David Ige, at a news conference Tuesday. “It certainly is heartbreaking. Any death is a tragedy.”

Meanwhile, the state reported 181 new COVID-19 cases statewide.

Of those, 157 are on Oahu, 19 are on the Big Island and five are on Maui.

The new cases push the statewide total for infections since the pandemic began to 8,653.