(BIVN) – There were 1,047 new cases of COVID-19 identified in the State of Hawaiʻi this week, down from the 1,273 new cases reported last week. Of those, 89 new cases were identified on Hawaiʻi island, down from the 109 cases reported last week.

On the Health Department’s zip code area map showing reported COVID-19 cases with onset dates in the past 14 days, there are four (4) zip code areas on the Big Island showing over 11 cases. Zip code areas not listed below have recorded 10 cases or less in 14 days.

• 96720 (Hilo) – 50 cases
• 96749 (Keaʻau) – 16 cases
• 96740 (Kona) – 30 cases
• 96743 (Kohala/Waimea) – 17 cases

The average test positivity rate on Hawaiʻi island this week was 4.2%, down slightly from the 4.8% reported the week before.

Health Officials Recommend Bivalent Boosters For Children 

From the Hawaiʻi Department of Health on Wednesday:

The Department of Health (DOH) recommends COVID-19 bivalent booster vaccines for everyone age five and older. Bivalent boosters are the first COVID-19 vaccinations designed specifically to protect against original COVID-19 and the most common forms of COVID-19 in Hawai‘i, the BA.4 and BA.5 Omicron subvariants.

The BA.4 and BA.5 subvariants account for almost all of the COVID-19 cases in Hawai‘i.

“This is great news for parents who want to protect their young children. Bivalent boosters were already available for everyone 12 and older. Now kids ages 5-11 can benefit from these new boosters too,” said State Health Director Dr. Elizabeth Char, FACEP.

Today the U.S. Food and Drug Administration issued Emergency Use Authorization for the bivalent booster manufactured by Pfizer-BioNTech for children ages 5-11 and the bivalent booster manufactured by Moderna for children and teens ages 6-17. Soon thereafter, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and DOH recommended bivalent boosters for everyone age five and older.

The new bivalent vaccines are to be administered as a single booster dose to those who previously completed a primary series of COVID-19 vaccines and those who have had one or two booster doses. Bivalent boosters can only be administered if it has been at least two months since a person’s most recent vaccination.

People can select a booster by either Pfizer-BioNTech or Moderna regardless of the vaccine brand they previously received.

Find information about providers and the services they offer at vaccines.gov or by visiting the vaccine finder map.