“All of us, whether we’re vaccinated or not, need to mask up,” she said. The good news, Green said, is that the playbook for slowing the spread is simple: for people to get vaccinated, wear face masks and practice social distancing. Hospitalizations are also surging. At Queen’s, for instance, hospitalizations had risen to more than 50 by Monday compared with the low single digits two weeks ago, Green said. Hawaii reported 452 new cases on Sunday and 365 on Monday. This has caused the rapid increase in cases in Hawaii. But a person with the delta variant generally infects seven to nine. One person infected with the original COVID-19 virus generally infects one to two others, she said. Jill Hoggard Green, president and chief executive of The Queens Health Systems. The delta variant is a major issue because it spreads easily, said Dr.
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“The tough nut that needs to be cracked is how to vaccinate more people.” “People are concerned we’re going to revert,” he said. Although the guidance is not binding on the states, Saiki said there’s a concern Hawaii could go backward, imposing restrictions that could hinder the state’s tentative economic recovery. The CDC already has changed its guidance on masks, advising people in places with surging delta cases to wear masks indoors even if they are fully vaccinated. Saiki said it was important to try to get ahead of the variant before it’s necessary to impose more restrictions on businesses and social activities. Scott Saiki, Hawaii’s House Speaker, and Peter Ho, Bank of Hawaii’s chairman and chief executive, the committee includes a range of lawmakers and executives from the private sector, including hotels, unions and business associations. The committee’s meeting was the first since March and shows just how problematic the delta variant has become. We’re not looking in the rearview mirror anymore at this pandemic,” said Carl Bonham.
Chaired by Bank of Hawaii chairman and chief executive Peter Ho, center, and House Speaker Scott Saiki, the House Select Committee on COVID-19 Economic and Financial Preparedness, shown here in March 2020, convened for the first time since March of this year to address the delta variant. Members of the House Select Committee on COVID-19 Economic and Financial Preparedness met on Monday to discuss the implications. After a lull in cases that led some to think the worst was over, the virus now is spreading rapidly because of a highly transmissible mutation called the delta variant. The state is facing its most intense wave of COVID-19 infections since the pandemic began more than a year ago. Hawaii business, medical and political leaders on Monday urged the public to wear masks, practice social distancing and get vaccinated to avoid reverting to restrictions on businesses that could derail a fragile economic recovery.