Hospital beds, oxygen, nurses in short supply, hotels start feeling the hit of governor's stay-away request, state and county workers vaccine mandate stands for now, more news from all the Hawaiian Islands

Photo by Javier Matheu on Unsplash

Medical facilities struggling to find beds and enough staff to care for new COVID-19 patients. The number of people hospitalized with COVID-19 jumped to 437 on Tuesday, a nearly 5% increase from the previous day, further straining the resources of Hawaii’s hospitals, which have had to set up overflow tents and bring in nurses and other medical staff from the mainland to help care for the influx of patients. This week, hospitals also have had to begin conserving oxygen supplies. Star-Advertiser. Hawaii News Now.

Hawaii hotels are beginning to see mounting cancellations as COVID surge continues. About a week after Gov. David Ige asked tourists to stay home, and as COVID cases continue to surge in the islands, Hawaii hotels are seeing an increase in cancellations. Hawaii News Now.

Judge delays hearing on suit against vaccine mandate for state and county workers. A federal judge has delayed indefinitely a hearing on a lawsuit against the vaccinate-or-test mandate for state and county workers. The hearing on whether to block the requirements was scheduled for Sept. 8. Hawaii News Now.

State Worker Salaries Have Climbed In The Past Decade. The number of state employees has stayed remarkably consistent since 2011, but their salaries kept going up. Civil Beat.

Expired driver’s license, permit or ID? You’ll want to renew it by Oct. 4. The governor’s waiver for the expired documents ends on Oct. 4. After that date, if your license has been expired for more than a year, you won’t be able to renew it. Instead you’ll have to re-take and pass the written exam and road tests. Hawaii News Now.

Hawaii traffic-related fatalities continue to surpass those from 2020. The state has tallied 60 traffic-related fatalities in the first eight months of this year, surpassing numbers from the same time in 2020 as an upward trend continues. Star-Advertiser.

Hawaii sees 553 new coronavirus cases, bringing statewide total to 63,502. The new confirmed and probable infection count by island includes 430 new cases on Oahu, 37 on Maui, 65 on Hawaii island, 13 on Kauai and eight Hawaii residents diagnosed outside the state. Star-Advertiser.

Oahu

Here’s How Honolulu Plans To Spend $386 Million In Federal Covid Relief Funds. The blueprint includes $15 million for expanded coronavirus testing and other services and $10 million for vaccine incentives. Civil Beat.

Council members urge officals to use more resources to stop COVID-19 spread, including reinstating pre-travel testing. Members of the Honolulu City Council are pushing for more city resources to combat the spread of COVID-19, including more testing sites, isolation facilities and reinstating the pre-traveling testing program. Star-Advertiser.

Hawaii Tourism Authority tourism plan for Oahu focuses on reducing visitors. The Destination Management Action Pla also focuses on several other key actions that the community, visitor industry and other sectors deem necessary over a three-year period. Establishing a regenerative tourism fee, creating reservation systems for natural and cultural sites, managing visitors’ use of cars and expanding and supporting “Buy Local” programs also were key actions. Star-Advertiser. KITV4.

‘Moderna’ misspelled on Illinois visitor’s alleged fake vaccination card. State investigators said they received a tip that 24-year-old Chloe Mrozak of Oak Lawn, Illinois may have uploaded the false documents under the state’s Safe Travels Program to bypass traveler quarantine rules. Hawaii News Now. KHON2. KITV4.

Hawaii Island

Developers propose timeshares for Waikoloa Kings’ Course. The popularity of the game of golf is waning, leading a Waikoloa developer to request permission to repurpose half of one of its two golf courses into single-family home lots and timeshare units. West Hawaii Today.

Hawaiʻi Solid Waste Facilities Announce Closures Due to COVID-19. Closures will affect solid waste facilities in Hilo, Keaʻau, Pāhoa, Hāwī and Keauhou. Big Island Video News. Big Island Now.

Maui

Ventura, Lonokailua-Hewett in running for fire chief. Deputy Fire Chief Brad Ventura and retired Battalion Chief Amos Lonokailua-Hewett are vying for the position of fire chief. Maui News.

Maui Hospital Prepares Now to Mitigate Oxygen Needs, Potential Rise in COVID Care. Maui Health administrators say research has shown that about 10% of positive cases will likely need hospitalization within 10-14 days of virus onset.  That could translate to 46 additional hospitalizations within the next two weeks. Maui Now.

Kauai

Kauai Police Chief Sued By Cop Who Complained Of Discrimination. A Kauai police captain is suing Kauai Police Chief Todd Raybuck alleging he was passed over for a promotion because of his race and then retaliated against for filing a discrimination complaint last year. Civil Beat.

State safeguarding native birds, plants in Honopu watershed. The state Department of Land and Natural Resources Division of Forestry and Wildlife is building a fence enclosing nearly 240-acres in the Honopu Valley to protect native flora and fauna from invasive species. Garden Island.

Honolulu mayor requires vaccine passes, governor mulls Labor Day crowd restrictions, hospitals run low on oxygen, morgue overflows, more news from all the Hawaiian Islands

Waikiki trolley ©2021 All Hawaii News

Coronavirus-free proof to be required for Oahu establishments. People on Oahu will need to show proof of vaccination or a negative COVID-19 test within the past 48 hours to enter restaurants, bars, indoor gym facilities, entertainment and recreational settings beginning Sept. 13. Star-Advertiser. Civil Beat. Associated Press. Maui Now. Hawaii News Now. KITV4.

Daily visitor spending may be up, but economists say overall revenue is still down. Hawaii visitors are spending more per day now than in days before the pandemic, according to new data from the Department of Business, Economic Development and Tourism. Hawaii News Now.

Matson releases statement regarding service rumors. Matson issued a statement on Sunday in response to persistent unfounded rumors circulating in Hawaii about service disruption All Matson operations continue uninterrupted. KITV4.

Quarantine largely unchecked, COVID surge rages, as 1 in 10 local resident travelers opt not to show vax card or do pre-test. Almost 83,000 people just since June 1 had to quarantine when arriving in Hawaii, not providing a vaccine card nor getting a valid pre-travel negative COVID test. KHON2.

Vicky Cayetano launches Democratic gubernatorial campaign. Former first lady Vicky Cayetano, a business executive, entrepreneur and first-time candidate for any office, kicked off her campaign for governor Monday while launching her campaign website, vickyfor governor.com. Star-Advertiser. Civil Beat. Hawaii Public Radio. Hawaii News Now.

Public defender seeks release of certain inmates to curb COVID-19. The outbreak of COVID-19 infections in Hawaii prompted the Public Defender’s Office to again call for the release of certain classifications of inmates to alleviate overcrowded correctional facilities where short-staffed teams of workers are doing what they can to stop outbreaks inside the facility from spreading to the community. Star-Advertiser. Civil Beat.

COVID-19 delays drunken driving trial of state Rep. Sharon Har. Six months after her arrest on a drunken driving charge, state Rep. Sharon Har’s trial that had been scheduled to start Monday has been rescheduled for October because of COVID- 19 court restrictions — two days before Har likely will challenge a separate preliminary ruling to suspend her driver’s license for two years. Star-Advertiser.

State mulls Labor Day weekend mandates. The state will decide whether to prohibit large gatherings over Labor Day weekend by Wednesday, said Lt. Gov. Josh Green Monday. Tribune-Herald.

Hawaii app that warns of COVID exposure experiences spike in activations. The app uses bluetooth technology to anonymously alert users if they have been exposed to the coronavirus to help mitigate the spread of COVID-19. Star-Advertiser.

Hawaii hospitals face possible oxygen shortage amid rise in COVID-19 patients. Top health care officials are scrambling to bring in oxygen from the mainland after realizing that Hawaii’s hospitals could run short amid a surge in hospitalized COVID-19 patients. Star-Advertiser. Hawaii News Now. KHON2.

Hawaiʻi Health Care System 'Really Being Stretched' as COVID-19 Cases Increase. With a record number of COVID-19 cases reported over the weekend, health officials are trying to manage the growing number of hospitalized patients while preparing to scale up facilities to address an overflow situation. Hawaii Public Radio.

Hawaii sees 720 new coronavirus cases, bringing statewide total to 62,949. The new confirmed and probable infection count by island includes 468 new cases on Oahu, 73 on Maui, 139 on Hawaii island, 34 on Kauai and six Hawaii residents diagnosed outside the state. Star-Advertiser.

Oahu

Honolulu morgue is over capacity, using an emergency trailer parked outdoors for overflow. Honolulu’s morgue is over capacity due to the coronavirus pandemic, and is now using one of three trailers reserved for emergencies. Star-Advertiser.

Honolulu Airbnbs Shut Down When The Pandemic Began. The Mayor Wants To Keep It That Way. The mayor sees the crackdown on vacation rentals as a tourism control measure. Civil Beat.

Oahu school requires COVID-19 vaccine or testing for parents entering campus. Jarrett Middle School Principal Reid Kuba is trying to keep COVID-19 out of his small school in Palolo at all costs. KITV4.

Hawaii Island

Hawaii County test positivity highest in state. As of Monday, Hawaii County boasted the highest test positivity rate in the state at 9.4%, compared to an 8% positivity rate statewide. Tribune-Herald.

‘We cannot divert patients’: Hilo Medical Center operating over capacity. Hilo Medical Center is operating well beyond capacity as the number of COVID-19 patients there continues a steady climb upward. Tribune-Herald.

DHHL Breaks Ground On New Panaʻewa Subsistence Ag Lots. The $2.49 million capital improvement project will subdivide an existing 10-acre lot into 16 half-acre Subsistence Agricultural lots. Big Island Video News. Hawaii News Now.

Pahoa man accused of trying to steal airplane. A 24-year-old Pahoa man is accused of a brazen daylight attempt to steal an air ambulance from the Hilo International Airport. Tribune-Herald. Star-Advertiser. Big Island Video News. Big Island Now. KHON2.

Maui

Kaiser Permanente Postponing Elective Procedures and Surgeries on Maui. Kaiser Permanente is making changes at Moanalua Medical Center and on Maui to ensure there are enough resources needed to take care of COVID-19 patients. Maui Now.

Some Maui schools report worsening teacher shortage due to COVID19 testing mandate. Staff claim a lack of testing is exacerbating a substitute teacher shortage and leaving some classrooms of students unsupervised. KITV4.

Visitor Arrested for Alleged Quarantine Violation, Assault Against a Maui Police Officer. A 22-year-old California man was arrested on Maui on Thursday for alleged violation of rules and orders relating to the state’s travel quarantine. Maui Now.

‘That Is Not Aloha’: Dr. Lorrin Pang Is Pushing Back Against His Critics. The Maui state health officer explains why he believes it’s important for doctors to explore all possible treatments for the rapidly spreading Covid-19. Civil Beat.

Maui Ordnance to Prevent Underage Drinking Goes Into Effect Sept. 1.  The Social Host Liability Ordinance holds adults on the island of Maui accountable for illegal underage drinking on their property. Maui Now.

Kauai

KDHO: 19 new infections Monday. In the last week, the county has confirmed 263 new COVID-19 infections, Lauren Guest of the Kaua‘i District Health Office reported Monday. Garden Island.