Rush for COVID-19 tests bogs down Hawaii’s case-reporting system

The state’s electronic data collection system for COVID-19 cases has become overwhelmed by the number of test results that it is trying to process. As a result, state health officials say they will stop processing negative test results beginning today.

The move should provide a more accurate daily count of positive cases, but the change means that the state will not be able to calculate the case positivity rate, which reflects the daily percentage of tests coming back positive. State epidemiologist Dr. Sarah Kemble estimated that it could take two weeks to get the system functioning properly again.

The change has no effect on individuals who are awaiting their test results.

Kemble said that the state could see a bump in case counts over the next four to five days as delayed test results are processed within the state’s surveillance system.

“This is the general wave of cases just being stopped up a little bit, slowed down a little bit,” she said.

The reporting glitches have made it difficult to gauge the overall trend in the state’s COVID-19 cases. But Hawaii Department of Health Director Dr. Libby Char said that she doesn’t think the state has entered a downward trend yet.

The Health Department on Saturday reported 5,977 new cases, a new single-day record. The state has been experiencing jumps in new COVID-19 cases since December, shortly after the more transmissible omicron variant of the coronavirus was detected in Hawaii.

The department also told reporters Saturday that its contact tracers are not trying to contact everyone who has tested positive for COVID-19 because the case counts are too high. The state has reported about 48,000 cases in the past two weeks.

Instead, contact tracers are focusing on cluster investigations in locations such as schools and long-term care facilities.

“It would be unrealistic to think our 378 contact tracers could get in touch with all those people. So, we are focusing on providing general and setting-­specific guidance, and on cluster investigations that will help protect vulnerable populations,” said Kemble in a news release.

The state’s COVID-19 case counts provide a proxy number for active cases. The actual case counts are expected to be much higher because home tests are not reported and not everyone who has COVID-19 gets tested.

Char is advising the public to wear well-fitting masks that should be kept on while near anyone not in the same household, avoid large crowds and isolate if COVID-­19 symptoms are present or after potential exposure to the coronavirus.

In addition to the 5,977 new confirmed and probable infections statewide, health officials Saturday reported six new coronavirus-­related deaths, bringing the state’s totals since the start of the pandemic to 1,123 fatalities and 166,008 cases.

The latest fatalities were recorded on Oahu.

The new single-day record broke a previous high of 4,789 set on Jan. 6.

The state’s official coronavirus-related death toll included 825 fatalities on Oahu, 159 on Hawaii island, 106 on Maui, 20 on Kauai, 2 on Molokai, and 11 Hawaii residents who died outside the state.

The U.S. coronavirus-­related death toll was over 849,000 and the nationwide infection tally is nearly 65.2 million.

Saturday’s new confirmed and probable infection count by island included 3,985 new cases on Oahu, 913 on Maui, 720 on Hawaii island, 266 on Kauai, 23 on Molokai, 20 on Lanai and 50 Hawaii residents diagnosed outside the state.

The state’s 7-day average infection count was 3,657 and its seven-day average positivity rate was 20.1%, according to the Hawaii COVID-19 Data dashboard.

The seven-day average case count for Oahu was 2,664 and the seven-day average positivity rate was 20.7%, state health officials said.

The Hawaii COVID-19 vaccine summary showed 2,630,811 doses had been administered through state and federal distribution programs as of Friday, up 4,607 from a day earlier.

Health officials say that 75.1% of the state’s population is now fully vaccinated, 80.8% have received at least one dose, and 29.4% have received a third dose.

Of all the confirmed Hawaii infection cases, 5,419 have required hospitalizations, with 11 new hospitalizations reported Saturday.

Thirty-one hospitalizations in the overall statewide count are Hawaii residents who were diagnosed and treated outside the state. Of the 5,388 hospitalizations within the state, 4,113 have been on Oahu, 660 on Maui, 491 on the Big Island, 108 on Kauai, 11 on Molokai, and five on Lanai.