Big Island adds 17 COVID cases

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Seventeen new COVID-19 cases were reported Thursday on the Big Island, bringing the total case count to 10,768 since late February 2020.

Statewide, 156 new cases were reported by health officials on Thursday, bringing the statewide case count to 82,886, according to the Hawaii Emergency Management Agency.

According to HI-EMA, 1,798 new cases have been reported in Hawaii in the past 14 days, including 405 on the Big Island. There has been an average of 117.4 new cases the past seven days statewide with the Big Island averaging 25 cases per day.

Hawaii County’s seven-day test positivity rate was 3.2% Thursday, above the state’s 1.7% positivity rate.

On Thursday, six people with COVID-19 were hospitalized on the Big Island. Nine of the island’s 24 ICU beds were available with none of the beds occupied by a COVID-positive patient.

Four new coronavirus-related deaths were reported by the state on Thursday. Of the 880 deaths confirmed and reported by the state to date, 662 were on Oahu, 92 were on Maui, 112 were on the Big Island and nine on Kauai. Five deaths were among residents outside the state.

Meanwhile Thursday, the state reported 66% of Big Island residents — or more than 131,848 people ­— were fully vaccinated against COVID-19. Some 78% has received at least one dose. In residents 12 years and older, 77% have completed the vaccination with 91% receiving one dose.

Statewide, 70.6% of the population was fully vaccinated.