Hawaii County’s COVID death toll reaches 253

Four new deaths from COVID-19 were reported for Hawaii County this week, including two men and two women.

One woman was between the ages of 40 and 49 who was not hospitalized but did have an underlying condition.

One man was between the ages of 60 and 69 who was hospitalized, but it is unknown whether he had an underlying condition.

A woman over the age of 80 was not hospitalized but did have an underlying condition, and another man over the age of 80 was hospitalized with an underlying condition.

Since the pandemic began in 2020, the death toll for Hawaii County has reached 253 people.

The statewide death toll has climbed to 1,911 people since the start of the pandemic.

Statewide, the Department of Health reported 10 deaths over the last week, the most since April of this year.

The DOH reports deaths once they are provided the official cause of death, which in some cases can take weeks or even months to determine.

The latest variant report from the DOH released July 18 confirmed that the omicron subvariant XBB.1.5 remains the dominant strain throughout the Hawaii County, accounting for 39% of all analyzed cases.

A new variant, EG.5, is quickly rising in the county, accounting for 30% of all analyzed cases, making it the second most dominant variant.

The World Health Organization on July 19 added EG.5 to the list of omicron variants being monitored.

The WHO added there is no evidence at this time that the EG.5 variant is fueling any rises in cases or deaths, or that infections involving the virus are more severe.