Hawaii director of health urges masking and vaccination

The Department of Health is recommending masking in indoor public spaces during the current coronavirus pandemic, even as average case numbers are declining.

During a call by Honolulu star advertiser Spotlight Hawaii on Friday, Department of Health Director Dr. Elizabeth “Libby” Char said that with the current high levels of COVID-19 in the community, masking is not only easy, it’s sensible. “Masks work,” Char said. “We know they work. They help reduce transmission – be sure to wear your mask, especially indoors and even outside if you are going to a place where there are many people and you are with a group of people you would normally be with are not together.

DOH advises masking, especially as all of Hawaii’s major counties are currently classified as Orange, high-level communities for COVID-19 risks.

However, she said bringing back a mask mandate would be difficult and the governor would have to issue another emergency declaration to enforce it. Hawaii’s indoor mask mandate expired on March 25, along with the declaration of a state of emergency related to COVID-19.

Average case counts have fallen over the past three weeks from a seven-day average of 1,210 on June 1 to a seven-day average of 832 on Wednesday, she noted. However, she estimates that these case numbers are likely five to six times higher when home test results are factored in.

At the same time, Char is monitoring the rise in the more transmissible omicron variants BA.4 and BA.5, which were first detected in South Africa in January. BA.4 and BA.5 are of concern as they are thought to be about 1.6 and 1.7 times more transmissible than BA.2, respectively, and have an increased ability to evade immunity.

“Really what’s worrying us is this immune evasion,” Char said. “So far, the vaccines still offer good protection, but we are seeing more and more cases of reinfection.”

People who have previously been infected with COVID-19 should not assume they are bulletproof. “You can absolutely reinfect yourself, especially with these subvariants,” she said. “So we’re really keeping an eye on that. Could that lead to a slew of more cases over the next few months and into the fall? It is a possibility.”

Nationwide, BA.4 and BA.5 now account for around 35% of new coronavirus infections. According to the variant report released Wednesday, 24 confirmed cases — nine of BA.4 and 15 of BA.5 — have now been discovered through genome sequencing of COVID-19 test samples from Hawaii.

“We saw a big spike in South Africa and Portugal attributed to BA.4 and 5,” she said. “We’re seeing some cases in the UK right now and back in the US we’re seeing some states picking up again.”

Char also said she strongly recommends parents get their keiki under the age of 5 vaccinated immediately after receiving federal approvals from the Food and Drug Administration and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Shipments of the vaccines arrived earlier this week and are available from vendors nationwide.

“I think we have a lot of evidence from the FDA and from the studies and trials that have been done that these vaccines are safe and effective,” she said. “I really see no reason to wait at this point.”

Given the time it takes to get all doses — two doses four weeks apart for the Moderna vaccine and two doses three weeks apart for the Pfizer vaccine, followed by a third at least eight weeks later — is it makes sense to get them now Protection before daycare and daycare start in the fall.

Additionally, the Moderna COVID vaccine is now available for children ages 6 to 17. The Pfizer vaccine was already available for this age group.

Char also acknowledged that long-term COVID, or long-term effects following coronavirus infections, is a real concern.

“I think that’s the point where it’s really disingenuous when people say, ‘Oh, COVID isn’t a big deal, it’s like a cold, who cares? … That may be true for some people, but we also need to be aware that some people can end up with a long COVID – and that can affect your quality of life and your ability to lead a normal life for weeks, months or even years affect .

With no effective treatment for long-lived COVID yet, she said, it’s important for the community to work together to prevent infection and “get through this.”