(BIVN) – There were 845 newly reported cases of COVID-19 in the State of Hawaiʻi on Friday, up from the 752 cases identified on Thursday. There were four (4) new COVID-related deaths reported state-wide.

Today, there were one hundred sixty-two (162) new cases identified on Hawaiʻi island, nearly the same number as the one hundred sixty-three (163) reported yesterday.

Health officials are currently monitoring 1,551 active cases on Hawaiʻi island. The test positivity rate on the Big Island over the last 14 days is 7.9%, and there has been a 14-day average of one hundred nineteen (119) new cases per day.

According to the Hawaiʻi Emergency Management Agency, there were thirty-nine (39) persons hospitalized today on the Big Island, a 10% decrease in the number of hospitalizations compared to the previous report of forty-three (43).

On the Health Department’s zip code area map showing reported COVID-19 cases with onset dates in the past 14 days, there are fifteen (15) locations on the Big Island showing over 10 cases. Eight (8) of those zip code areas are showing over 50 cases, with two areas (Kona and Hilo) identifying over 300 new cases in 14 days.

• 96720 (Hilo) – 420 cases
• 96740 (Kona) – 390 cases
• 96743 (Kohala) – 93 cases
• 96738 (S. Kohala) – 80 cases
• 96755 (N. Kohala) – 29 cases
• 96719 (N. Kohala) – 16 cases
• 96727 (Hāmākua) – 43 cases
• 96773* (N. Hilo) – 14 cases
• 96749 (Puna) – 129 cases
• 96760 (Puna) – 21 cases
• 96771 (Puna mauka) – 53 cases
• 96778 (Puna makai) – 54 cases
• 96725 (Kona) – 39 cases
• 96750 (Kona) – 42 cases
• 96704* (South Kona) – 51 cases

* The 96773 zip code area includes zip code areas 96710, 96774, 96728, 96764, and 96780. The 96704 zip code area includes zip code areas 96726.

Community COVID-19 testing events are scheduled tomorrow (Saturday, August 20) in Hilo at the Afook Chinen Civic Auditorium from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. and at the Waimea District Park from noon to 4 p.m. Gates may close sooner depending on the demand, Hawaiʻi County officials say.

To date, the State of Hawaiʻi says 1,820,538 cumulative doses of COVID-19 vaccine have been administered. Health officials say 61.7% percent of the State population has been fully vaccinated. 69.9% of the population has initiated vaccination. On Hawaiʻi island, 58% has completed vaccination.

Vaccine Booster Recommended For Immunocompromised Individuals

From the Hawaiʻi Department of Health:

The Hawaiʻi Department of Health (DOH) issued a medical advisory recommending that moderately to severely immunocompromised individuals should receive an additional dose of mRNA COVID-19 vaccine after the initial two doses. The additional dose should be given at least 28 days after a second dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine or Moderna COVID-19 vaccine.

This recommendation is in line with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices.

Additional doses or booster shots are not recommended for the general public at this time.

“Immunocompromised individuals are especially vulnerable to COVID-19, as they may not build sufficient immunity from the initial two-shot series of mRNA vaccines,” said State Epidemiologist Dr. Sarah Kemble. “At this time, additional doses are only recommended for this limited segment of the population.”

Immunocompromised individuals may discuss with their healthcare provider whether receiving an additional dose is appropriate for them.

The DOH added that such qualifying conditions and treatments include but are not limited to:

• Active treatment for solid tumor and hematologic malignancies
• Receipt of solid-organ transplant and taking immunosuppressive therapy
• Receipt of CAR-T-cell or hematopoietic stem cell transplant (within 2 years of transplantation or taking immunosuppression therapy)
• Moderate or severe primary immunodeficiency (e.g., DiGeorge syndrome, Wiskott-Aldrich syndrome)
• Advanced or untreated HIV infection
• Active treatment with high-dose corticosteroids (i.e., ≥20mg prednisone or equivalent per day), alkylating agents, antimetabolites, transplant-related immunosuppressive drugs, cancer chemotherapeutic agents classified as severely immunosuppressive, tumor-necrosis (TNF) blockers, and other biologic agents that are immunosuppressive or immunomodulatory.