Hawaii reports second death and 27 new COVID-19 cases

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Honolulu, HAWAII — On Thursday, a second person in Hawaii died due to coronavirus complications, and Molokai announced its first COVID-19 case.

“As we come together with expressions of sympathy and support – we must also remember to help each other, to protect your health and the health of loved ones and your community,” Gov. David Ige said in an emailed statement.

The governor’s announcement of the second death came shortly after the Department of Health’s daily case count at noon, which did not include a second death in its tally. The State of Hawaii COVID-19 Joint Information Center (JIC) told Civil Beat it did not include the second death in its noon report because of a “human error” and the website is “being corrected to reflect two total deaths.”

At a press conference Thursday, Honolulu Mayor Kirk Caldwell said the person who died was an Oahu resident. He urged Oahu residents to start wearing masks in public to prevent transmission of the virus. Similar national guidance was expected Thursday from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The total number of COVID-19 cases in Hawaii continues to rise. On Thursday, Hawaii’s COVID-19 infection count reached 285 cases, 27 of which were confirmed within the last 24 hours.

Molokai had its first case of coronavirus Thursday afternoon — an adult male who was transferred to a hospital on Oahu, Hawaii News Now reported.

For the past several days, more than 20 new cases have been confirmed each day. If the trend continues, the state could see more than 300 cases by this weekend — an increase of 100 cases within a week.