COVID-19 confirmed in Hawaii: 607+ cases 16 deaths

[ChunksterK]

The HGEA has filed a grievance against the Hawaii Department of Health for the disastrous way they have handled contact tracing, or in this case, the contact tracers themselves.  While I usually don't have much faith in Hawaii public employees' unions, this time may be different, especially if it produces changes.  Here's the story on HNN:

https://www.hawaiinewsnow.com/2020/08/10...se-builds/

If we had decent contact tracing, we might know if somebody had actually been infected on one of those DLNR trails HOTPE just told us about.  I suppose the trails might lead somewhere folks have been having illegal gatherings, but it seems counterintuitive to think of forest trails as being crowded enough to be a problem.  But I could be wrong.  I've been wrong before.

[HereOnThePrimalEdge]

Read it and weep.
The complete and utter failure of the Hawaii contact tracing program.  We were promised a functioning department during the COVID-19 emergency, and received the usual:

For over a month, state Epidemiologist Sarah Park and Health Director Bruce Anderson have said in press conferences and before the Senate COVID-19 response committee that the department employs over 100 contact tracers and touted the training of up to 450 others. 
However, several senators paid a surprise visit to the department last week and described a bleak scene among contact tracers.

“It just seemed like they were bootstrapping that whole operation,” said Windward Oahu Sen. Jarrett Keohokalole.


https://www.hawaiipublicradio.org/post/h...t#stream/0

[TomK]

"Epidemic tracker: ‘1 in 50 Oahu residents may have COVID’"

https://www.hawaiinewsnow.com/2020/08/12...ave-covid/

If true, this is quite scary. I have little doubt the number of COVID-19 cases is higher than reported, simply because not everyone with the virus is tested and it's inevitable that numbers are being under-reported. However, if the 10:1 ratio is true then the chances of interacting with someone carrying the virus are now very high. Think of that when you visit the supermarket.

[kalakoa]

Think of that when you visit the supermarket.
I don't often fly to Oahu for groceries. Too bad they didn't extrapolate the infection ratio for islands that are not Oahu.

[TeaTree]

News exerpt from yesterday 8/11 regarding policing the 14 day quarantine for arrivals:

The state started testing a digital platform that can track people through their phone.

Governor Ige said, “The new digital platform will allow us to automatically ping the telephones and check up on individuals and make sure that they are on their quarantine locations.”

So, "Ping" AND "check up"? I'm assuming he means they will verify phone location and then call the person to make sure they didn't just leave the phone at home? How do they get around the person's brother answering and saying he's the owner of the phone and "good thanks, I'm just chillin' at home, how are you?" Or am I being too cynical? Like most people really want the quarantine to work so why would they fake a response?

[ChunksterK]

"Or am I being too cynical?" - Tea Tree

No, one can't be too cynical in questioning the enforcement of quarantine regulations or the totally inept Hawaii contract tracing program. Both have been woefully inadequate, and the same lame excuses keep being made. Ige is hiding under a desk somewhere, and the fools running the health department actually said it was unfair for legislators to make a surprise visit to tracing HQ. Your cynicism is totally justified.

[HereOnThePrimalEdge]

Only five (5) contact tracers while much of the the state workforce sits idled by the pandemic?  I believe when your city is burning, fiddles are the appropriate instrument, but even that requires the skill to play.  Perhaps Hawaii state workers can watch our population dwindle with their own theme song, since it requires less effort.  Maybe Todd Rundgren’s (I don’t want to work, I want to) Bang on the Drum All Day?
https://youtu.be/8LdLIqkmMB0

Park and Anderson have said they have 100 contact tracers and can draw on 450 trained workers, but senators found only 5 Hawaii National Guard members working full time on contact tracing while other employees were responsible for additional job duties.
https://www.hawaiipublicradio.org/post/g...m#stream/0

HPR has also announced an upcoming story in which the governor describes potential furloughs or cuts to the state workforce if Congress does not provide further financial assistance.  
Good, it’s about time.

[birdmove]

A couple years ago, I was having to fly to Oahu with my health care provider, Kaiser Permanente. Luckily, I haven't needed to do that during this pandemic. Fingers crossed on that.

[terracore]

"I'm assuming he means they will verify phone location and then call the person to make sure they didn't just leave the phone at home?"

AFAIK all one has to do is leave their phone at the quarantine location and forward calls to a burner phone that they have on their person while they break quarantine in case somebody actually calls and checks up on them.

A colleague of mine that lives in Guam and is currently on Oahu was just informed that if he arrives back to Guam without a negative COVID test he will have to spend quarantine in a government facility. Now he is scrambling to find out who on Oahu can do the tests within the timeframes allowed by the Guam authorities so he doesn't have to spend 2 weeks in a Guam "FEMA camp" or whatever.

My wife traveled to Oahu and back just before the new quarantine was announced. She said she observed tourists at HNL not wearing any face masks, and had open bags of chips in their laps. When airport security approached them they would eat a chip. Because they were 'eating' the mask mandate wasn't applicable to them, but they were clearly defying the mask order on purpose and probably thought they were rather clever in the process.

[TomK]

Jon,

"A couple years ago, I was having to fly to Oahu with my health care provider, Kaiser Permanente. Luckily, I haven't needed to do that during this pandemic. Fingers crossed on that."

During the last inter-island flight quarantine period, people traveling to other islands for medical appointments were exempt from quarantine. I assume it's the same this time around.