Hawai‘i COVID-19 News Update – October 22, 2021
Aloha,
Here are the latest COVID-19 news and issues facing Hawai‘i that you need to know this week.
Governor Ige declares Hawai‘i is “safely open” to vaccinated residents and visitors traveling domestically and between islands for business or pleasure, starting November 1.
- Governor Ige said, “I think we are all encouraged by what we’ve seen over the last several weeks with the continuing trend of lower case counts. Our hospitals are doing better, and we have fewer COVID patients in them.”
- The governor’s announcement comes nearly two months after he asked travelers to avoid Hawaiʻi because of the Delta variant surge, according to Civil Beat.
- Hawaiʻi Public Radio reports that though the state didn’t impose any new restrictions and this was a mere request, thousands of travelers canceled their plans to visit the state.
- Hawaii Lodging and Tourism Association President and CEO Mufi Hannemann told Hawaiʻi News Now, “While we recognize that there are still details that need to be sorted out ... this announcement is an important first step toward getting our economy moving again safely and judiciously.”
- There are no changes to the Safe Travels program at this time, and there’s no definitive date as to when the program will end.
Hawai‘i marks an important milestone – more than 1 million Hawai‘i residents are fully vaccinated against COVID-19.
- The Honolulu Star Advertiser writes that statewide, 70.4% of Hawaii’s population of about 1.4 million has completed vaccinations, while 78.8% received at least one dose.
- Additionally, the City and County of Honolulu reports that nearly 90% of city employees are fully vaccinated, following the city’s August 23 mandate.
- There is no testing alternative, leaving the options for those unable or unwilling to get a covid shot to apply for an exemption or be let go.
- So far, only five individuals of the county's 10,000 person workforce have been fired for refusing the vaccine. None of those terminated from their positions are a part of the city’s first responders workforce.
- State health officials will also authorize booster shots for Moderna and the Johnson and Johnson vaccines.
Younger keiki ages 5 to 11 weeks away from being eligible for the COVID-19 vaccination.
- In Hawai‘i, there are about 119,000 keiki in that age group, and health officials have already pre-ordered the full allotment allocated to Hawaiʻi – 41,700 doses.
- DOH Health Director Dr. Elizabeth Char said, “DOH has been working with public- and private-sector partners to prepare for the likely authorization of COVID-19 vaccines for children 5-11 to ensure equitable distribution across the state. The lives of our keiki are precious, and we are encouraged we may soon be able to protect them from COVID-19 through vaccination.”
- DOH is also working on making the vaccine more accessible to children and their parents and taking a different approach, staying away from mass vaccination sites that could make some children nervous.
- Brooks Baehr, Hawaii DOH spokesperson, said, “Those locations include a whole lot of schools — upwards of 100 schools or more — medical facilities, hospitals, pop-up vaccination locations, pharmacies, the community health centers. Even a handful of pediatrician offices should be offering the vaccine to youngsters if they are approved by the federal regulators.”
As the pandemic lingers on, Hawai‘i employers are looking to fill job positions and the state unemployment rate drops to 6.6%.
- According to data released by the state Department of Business, Economic Development and Tourism, the state’s unemployment rate, which during the early stages of the pandemic hit a record 21.9%, has now fallen eight straight months to an 18-month low of 6.6% in September.
- DBEDT chief economist Eugene Tian told the Honolulu Star Advertiser, “The numbers indicate that our labor market conditions continue to improve. A worker shortage may exist in some industries but other industries may not be as serious. A worker shortage implies more demand (job openings) than supply (labor force).”
- However, Chamber of Commerce Hawaii President and CEO Sherry Menor-McNamara says there is a record-high number of job openings – 32,000 – available on Hawaiiishiring.com, a hiring and workforce development site created during the pandemic by the chamber and other community collaborators.
Mahalo nui loa,
Your BG Team