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The Maui News
Maui Health officials predict that Maui will "experience a surge of cases soon" as its Emergency Operations Center is closely monitoring daily COVID-19 counts and positivity rates for the state and Maui.
Although 80 percent of the new cases reported since Friday are attributed to Oahu, Maui County did see "an exponential increase" in new cases and its positivity rate rose to 2.7 percent Tuesday, compared to 1.9 percent as of Friday.
Statewide, Hawaii is now averaging 634 cases a day, a 540 percent increase over the 99 daily new cases it was seeing as of Dec. 6, according to state Department of Health data as of Tuesday. Maui County has gone from averaging 15.7 new cases a day as of Dec. 6 to 30 new cases a day as of Tuesday.
Maui Health, which operates Maui Memorial Medical Center, said while it's unclear if the new cases are due to the omicron variant, its health care team "remains prepared to care for any COVID-19 positive patient in need of hospitalization."
On Tuesday, there were five COVID-19 patients hospitalized, with one in the intensive care unit, according to Maui Health's website. None were on a ventilator and all patients are unvaccinated.
Maui Health also reports that 97 of its employees are vaccinated and the remaining continue with regular, weekly testing. Protective measures such as universal masking, COVID-19 testing, N95 respirator use, face protection and screening prior to entering all facilities all continue.
Maui Memorial is also now the only site on Maui to administer monoclonal antibody therapy treatment, an emergency treatment authorized by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for reducing the severity of COVID-19 symptoms in positive individuals at risk for developing severe disease, according to a news release.
The treatment is effective for patients who are early in their COVID-19 diagnosis. The therapy clinic is working to expand its capabilities. Those seeking treatment should not go to the hospital without an appointment.
For qualifications and treatment indications, visit www.mauihealth.org/mab. Appointment requests may be emailed to MHS-covidmab-requests@kp.org.
As the holidays approach and positivity rates increase, Maui Health is encouraging vaccinations, including booster shots, which can reduce the risk of contracting the omicron variant, the news release said.
The hospital's main lobby vaccination clinic is open from 9 a.m. to noon and from 1 to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday. It will be closed this Thursday and Friday as well as on Dec. 31.
No appointment is needed and walk-ins are welcome during clinic hours. Individuals under the age of 18 must be accompanied by a parent or legal guardian.
The hospital is administering first, second and booster doses to all qualified individuals.
To qualify for a booster dose, patients must be at least 16 years old and six months past their second dose of Pfizer or Moderna vaccine or two months past their single dose of Johnson & Johnson.
The hospital also has pediatric doses for ages 5 to 11 while supplies last.
For more information, visit www.mauihealth.org.