The Johns Hopkins COVID-19 Dashboard for Saturday morning, June 20, at 7:33 a.m.:
Worldwide cases: 8,716,985 Worldwide deaths: 461,206
U.S. cases: 2,238,065 U.S. deaths: 119,342
The worldwide cases increased by 170,066 in the last 24 hours, and worldwide deaths by 4,480.
According to the Dashboard, the United States has added 34,406 cases in the last 23 hours, and deaths attributed to COVID-19 have increased by 647. The case count is significantly higher than the two-week average of around 22,000, and the death count is around average.
Hawaii has begun experiencing a spike in cases. On Friday, there were 27 new cases, and since June 1, 19 days through yesterday, the case count jumped by 137. The state now has 789 cumulative cases. In May, the case count never increased by more than a handful, with several days seeing no new increases. On Friday after the numbers were revealed, Lt. Gov. Dr. Josh Green recommended that people lay low this weekend, and wear masks if going out. Green said we have to do that in order to keep the numbers under control.
Hawaii County has 83 cumulative cases with 2 active.
O’ahu has had most of the new cases in the last ten days, with spikes at the Hale Nani Rehabilitation and Nursing home, in some low-income housing developments, and among people in a church congregation on O’ahu who gathered in a home once the church was closed because of COVID-19 concerns. The State Health Department said the church cluster may include up to 35 people, so far.
Dr. Scott Miscovich, head of Premier Medical Group, is spearheading testing at Hale Nani, and says the 7 patients who are infected there as part of its cluster of 12 are on the same floor and isolated from others. He also said on Saturday morning that he is going to recommend to Honolulu Mayor Kirk Caldwell that more drive-through testing be done in order to track the disease, find those infected, and ensure they know they need to isolate. He commented that many of the cases are in people with no symptoms.
Miscovich also said proper ventilation, outside wind or fans, can help keep the disease at bay. He said closed in rooms with air conditioning are a concern, whereas the wind or fans can blow any droplets away.
National health experts note that distancing from others, plus wearing masks, is critical to controlling the outbreak. That said, health experts also say that until the population gets herd immunity, via vaccinations or people catching the disease and possibly becoming immune, the coronavirus that causes COVID-19 will continue to spread.
