Big Island hospitals soon will begin vaccinating individuals over 70 against COVID-19, a move in alignment with the state Department of Health’s decision Wednesday to open inoculations to people 70-74 beginning Monday.
Queens North Hawaii Community Hospital on Monday will begin scheduling vaccinations for those over 70.
The inoculations are by appointment only.
To request an appointment, email QNHCHVaccine@queens.org, and include your name, date of birth, phone number and employer if you are an essential worker.
Anyone who previously emailed or called while they were ineligible, but are now eligible, are asked to email again.
Hilo Medical Center also will begin registering those over 70 beginning Monday.
For more information, visit hilomedicalcenter.org.
In a post on its website, Kona Community Hospital said it now is accepting appointments for individuals over 70.
For more information, visit kch.hhsc.org.
Inoculations from HMC and KCH also are by appointment only.
As of Thursday 380,310 doses of COVID-19 vaccine have been administered statewide, an increase of 8,967 from the previous day.
The state has ordered 507,730 vaccine doses and has so far received 470,150.
According to data from the DOH, 14.7% of Hawaii County’s 201,500 residents have received at least one vaccination dose, while 6.9% have received two doses.
The DOH on Thursday reported 60 new cases of COVID-19 in Hawaii, including four new cases on the Big Island.
Hawaii Island has a 0.4% test positivity rate, compared to a 1% positivity rate statewide.
The number of COVID-related deaths in Hawaii remain at 441.
There have been no COVID-19 clusters under investigation in Hawaii County in the last 14 days, according to a weekly cluster report issued by the DOH.