Thirty staff members at Queen’s North Hawaii Community Hospital received their Pfizer COVID-19 vaccinations Tuesday, with the remaining staff expected to receive the vaccine in the next two weeks.
Front-line providers, including physicians, nurses, respiratory therapists, housekeepers, and other care providers, received the first of the two-dose Pfizer vaccine. The hospital received 490 doses of the vaccine Monday and it is now stored in an ultra-low temperature freezer. Additional doses are expected to arrive next week.
“Staff members were excited to receive their vaccinations and to be part of such important phase of this pandemic – it’s really the start to the end of the suffering that so many have gone through this past year. I could not think of any better holiday gift for our healthcare providers and our community than the vaccine,” said QNHCH President Cindy Kamikawa.
Meanwhile Tuesday, state health officials announced six new COVID-19 cases on Hawaii Island, bringing the island’s total case count to 1,822.
The new Hawaii Island cases were among 66 new cases reported across the state by the Department of Health bringing the total case tally to 20,417 since Feb. 28. Oahu reported 51 new cases while Maui County reported seven. Two residents were diagnosed while outside the state.
Hawaii County has a 1.7% test positivity rate, under the statewide rate of 2.8%.
Statewide, 61 people were hospitalized Tuesday, including one on Hawaii Island. To date, 1,690 people have required hospitalization, including 94 on Hawaii Island. Kona Community Hospital reported its facility had no COVID-positive patients as of Tuesday afternoon.
No new coronavirus-related deaths were reported Tuesday by the state. Of the 282 coronavirus-related deaths confirmed and reported by the state to date, 218 were on Oahu, 17 were on Maui, 44 were on Hawaii Island and one on Kauai. Three deaths were among residents outside the state.
Hawaii County Civil Defense has reported 50 deaths on the island. The state has yet to confirm six of the deaths reported to date on Hawaii Island.
The island’s COVID-19 fatality rate remained at 2.4% on Tuesday, above the statewide rate of 1.4%.