BIVN graphic features the number of new cases reported by the State of Hawaiʻi on Monday, and a map showing zip code areas with reported cases having onset dates in the past 14 days according to the Hawaiʻi health department.

(BIVN) – There were only 29 newly reported cases of COVID-19 in the State of Hawaiʻi on Monday. Of that number, one (1) case was identified on the Big Island.

The Hawaiʻi Department of Health says there have been 30 cases of COVID-19 reported on Hawaiʻi island in the past 14 days.

Hawaiʻi County has seen an average 0.3% test positivity rate over the last 14 days, with an average of only two new cases per day.

From the Hawaiʻi County Civil Defense:

The Hawaii Department of Health reports one (1) new case of Coronavirus with two (2) people hospitalized on Hawaii Island. There have been no deaths reported in the last nine weeks.

Our new case numbers on Hawaii Island remain low because you have decided to follow the preventative policies of wearing face masks, keeping distance, and limiting gatherings to 10 persons. Vaccines are still being administered throughout the island to those who are 75 and older. The Department of Health will notify the public as they open up vaccine eligibility to more critical infrastructure employee categories. Everyone will have an opportunity to be vaccinated and in the meantime we ask that you continue your efforts in keeping Hawaii a safe place.

The Department of Health continues to coordinate vaccination points of distribution around the Island. Medical facilities and pharmacies on Hawaii Island are offering vaccine registration to individuals who are 75 and older. For a list of all the facilities providing vaccinations visit the Civil Defense website. 

67,280 More Doses of COVID-19 Vaccines Expected

The Department of Health reported on Monday that it is anticipating delivery of 67,280 doses of COVID-19 vaccines this week.

“This includes 28,080 doses of Pfizer vaccines, 27,300 doses of Moderna vaccines, and 11,900 doses of Johnson & Johnson vaccines,” a DOH spokesperson wrote. “The first ever shipment Johnson & Johnson vaccines will not arrive today but is expected to arrive within the next few days.”

The health department says Honolulu, Hawai’i, Maui, and Kaua’i counties will all be receiving Johnson & Johnson vaccines.

“The 67,280 doses the state expects to receive this week does not include an additional 10,380 doses the federal government is expected to ship directly to CVS / Longs this week as part of the Federal Retail Pharmacy Program,” DOH said.

Hawai‘i’s Economy Projected to Grow 2.7 Percent This Year

The Hawaiʻi Department of Business, Economic Development and Tourism released its first quarter 2021 Statistical and Economic Report on Monday,  projecting that the state economy will experience improvement in 2021, with a 2.7 percent increase in real gross domestic product (GDP).

“This is higher than the 2.1 percent GDP growth projected in December 2020,” a DBEDT news release stated. “While final estimates of economic growth have not been released yet, DBEDT estimates that Hawai‘i’s real GDP fell by approximately 7.5 percent in 2020, a smaller decline than the 11.7 percent contraction forecast in the previous quarter.”

DBEDT provided these highlights from the report:

• Public, private, non-profit entities and individuals in Hawai‘i were allocated more than $10.6 billion in federal funds in 2020.
• The second federal economic stimulus package of $900 billion provided qualified individuals with a $600 stimulus check, extended the supplemental $300 weekly unemployment benefit, and allocated additional funds for the Paycheck Protection Program. Furthermore, legislation is being considered for a third stimulus package of $1.9 trillion, that includes an additional $1,400 stimulus checks for qualified people. Hawai‘i is expected to receive more than $7 billion federal funds in 2021.
• The Safe Travels Program brought in 496,186 visitors in the fourth quarter of 2020, representing a recovery of about 20 percent from the same period in 2019. By comparison, visitor arrivals between April and September 2020 were only 1.8 percent of the same period a year earlier.
• As of Feb. 28, 2021, 17.5 percent of Hawai‘i’s population had been vaccinated at least with one shot, higher than the U.S. average at 15 percent.

DBEDT Director Mike McCartney said, “It has been one year since the onset of COVID-19 and it’s been a tough and challenging time for all of us. I can see positive and encouraging signs ahead for Hawai‘i’s economic prosperity with Hawai‘i’s Safe Travels program fully in place and the aggressive rollout of our statewide vaccination program, coupled with the fact that we have the lowest number of new COVID-19 cases in the country. Given all these signs, I am now more optimistic about Hawai‘i’s social, environmental, and economic prosperity in the future.”