The Johns Hopkins COVID Dashboard for Saturday, October 24, at 5:24 a.m.:
Worldwide cases: 42,343,866 Worldwide deaths: 1,146,221
U.S. cases: 8,508,467 U.S. deaths: 224,188
According to the Dashboard, the reported worldwide case report increased by 477,308 in the last 24 hours. Deaths worldwide increased by 6,925.
According to the Johns Hopkins Dashboard, the United States has added 83,884 cases in the last 24 hours. That number is a record high. In that time, the number of reported deaths from COVID-19 increased by 962.
In Hawaii, 131 new cases were confirmed on Friday, 34 of them on the Big Island. Both the Big Island and Lanai have had a surge in cases in the past week.
Lanai went from having no cases a week ago to yesterday afternoon, 65 cases on the island, which has a population of around 3,000. Maui County Mayor Michael Victorino has asked Gov. David Ige to approve a two-week “stay at home” order for the island, which is slated to begin as 12:01 a.m. Tuesday morning. The Lanai cases have stemmed from a funeral and social gatherings, and include several students. One of the big concerns is for any patients who might be ill enough to require hospitalization, as Lanai’s medical facilities are limited, with no critical care hospital. Both Maui Memorial Hospital and Queen’s Medical Center on O’ahu have said they are prepared to take any patients from the island, though at this time, State health officials have said none of the COVID-19 victims need hospitalization.
On the Big Island, Mayor Harry Kim has said the 288 active cases on the island are scattered around Kona, Hilo, Ocean View, and Waikoloa. In the past 14 days, Kailua-Kona has added 104 cases, Hilo has added 48, Waikoloa/Puako zip code has added 22, and Ocean View has added 19. Active cases are those not yet released from isolation by the State Department of Health.
Although trans Pacific travelers are now arriving in the state, all of them are either pre-tested for COVID-19 or are supposed to be under 14-day quarantine.
Health officials note that many of the new cases are in people 40 and younger, both nationwide and here in Hawaii. Younger people are less likely to get seriously ill and need hospitalization, but they can spread the virus to others who may not have immune systems as able to fight off the virus.
