Deaths from COVID are rising in Hawaii and history shows it is likely to get worse

HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) – Health officials said the current death toll is the highest it has been since vaccines became widely available, with more than 19 deaths in the past seven days.

Eight deaths were killed by COVID on Wednesday alone.

And history tells us it will probably get worse.

The peak of infections last year was August 12th. Almost exactly one year later, on August 11, Hawaii had the highest day for cases in history. Shortly afterwards, the death toll rose.

It is also concerned about the huge disparity in fatalities due to VOCID between ethnic groups.

Pacific Islanders, for example, account for only 4% of the population, but 21% of deaths.

According to data from the State Department of Health, the probability of a Pacific Islander dying from COVID is almost four times higher than any other ethnic group.

“It’s a combination of language, cultural, health barriers,” said Josie Howard, CEO of We Are Oceania.

“So it makes our job a lot harder, it makes our population more likely to suffer more with COVID.”

We Are Oceania has been struggling to overcome disparities among Pacific Islanders throughout the pandemic. They have set up vaccination clinics, worked to help with communication barriers, and tried other methods to stop the spread in their community.

“Families are scared,” Howard said. “I feel that the urgency right now is that we have to stop the spread. And we have to protect everyone, whatever that measure is. “

Those of Japanese origin are another group with a higher mortality rate than their population. They account for 19% of deaths, but only 15% of the population. Other populations have no significant deficiencies.

.Source

Share this:

Related