Thursday wen mark da end of da U.S. public health emergency fo’ COVID-19. Da kahunas of Hawaii wen celebrate da day, tree years lata, as one big kine milestone. Dey wen give plenty mahalos to da health workers an’ da locals fo’ all dea hard work fo’ keep da virus unda control. ????️
Da big doc, Dr. Kenneth Fink, who stay da health director fo’ da state, wen say dis day stay major. He wen say dat da end of da health emergency means we moving from COVID-19 being one pandemic to one endemic kine thing. Da worst part stay ovah but da virus still going hang around, an’ we gotta live wit’ um. ????
Even though da emergency stay pau, Fink wen remind everybody fo’ stay sharp an’ keep supporting public health readiness.
Our Gov. Josh Green, he wen give one big shout out to all da health care workers who wen stay strong during da hard times. He also wen mahalo all da locals fo’ wearing masks an’ getting da jab. He wen say all dat hard work wen pay off, an’ Hawaii wen have da lowest death rate an’ one of da highest COVID-19 vaccination rates of any state. ?️???
Da end of da federal public health emergency going make plenny changes to da COVID-19 programs.
Da U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, dey wen release one fact sheet early dis week. Dey wen say access to da COVID-19 vaccines an’ some treatments like Paxlovid not going be affected.
Dr. Sarah Kemble, da state epidemiologist, wen say da government still going give out free COVID-19 vaccines fo’ adults an’ kids an’ dat da DOH stay committed to making sure everybody can get um.
Insurance going generally cover COVID-19 tests dat health care providers order, but might have cost-sharing. But, insurance companies no need cover costs for COVID-19 home tests anymore.
People with Medicaid still going be covered for COVID-19 testing an’ treatment with no cost until September 2024.
Vaccine requirements for federal workers an’ contractors, an’ foreign air travelers to da U.S., wen end Thursday too. Da Centers for Disease Control and Prevention going stop reporting COVID-19 community levels an’ other metrics like test positivity as lab reporting requirements change an’ as case data become less reliable.
Kemble wen say da DOH going keep its COVID-19 dashboards an’ keep sharing available data on case counts, test positivity rates, hospitalizations, deaths an’ vaccination coverage — an’ trends by county, age, race an’ ethnicity.
DOH going also keep track of da virus variants an’ wastewater trends.
But if some metrics no stay valid or helpful overtime, she wen say, den DOH might make changes in da future.
Hawaii’s COVID-19 metrics an’ hospitalizations stayed steady over da past week.
Da weekly average of COVID-19 patients in hospitals stayed da same, at 63 per day, with an average of five in intensive care, according to the Healthcare Association of Hawaii.
Four more deaths also were reported, bringing da state’s COVID-19 death toll to 1,896.
“While da federal public health emergency is ending, COVID-19 is not ending,” said Kemble. “Now is a great time to get up to date on COVID-19 shots . If you sick, stay home an’ wear one mask when you around odda people fo’ no spread da disease.” ???
An’ if you neva get um yet, should go get da recommended bivalent booster. ??
Gov. Green wen say da estimated numbah of COVID-19 deaths in Hawaii was at 4,479 per year an’ dat with interventions da toll was way less. “Fo’ imagine over three years more than 12,000 people could have passed if no action was taken is an extraordinary testament to what people in Hawaii are,” he wen say, “and da values we have when we care for our ohana.” ???
More than 1.1 million people died of COVID-19 in da U.S., which according to CDC was da third leading cause of death during 2020 and 2021, and da fourth leading cause of death in 2022. ???
WHAT’S COVERED, NOT COVERED NOW THAT DA COVID-19 EMERGENCY HAS ENDED
Covered:
COVID-19 vaccine, fo’ now, still going be available fo’ free to adults an’ kids through da federal government. ?? COVID-19 tests ordered by health care providers generally expected to be covered by insurance but might come with cost-sharing. ?? Those with Medicaid coverage going have access to COVID-19 testing and treatment at no cost through September 2024. ??
Not covered:
At-home COVID-19 tests. Insurance providers no going be required to waive costs or provide free at-home COVID-19 tests. For people with Medicaid, however, COVID-19 testing and treatment remain covered at no cost through September 2024. ❌??
For da uninsured:
Da uninsured can get free testing through CDC’s Increasing Community Access to Testing program. Find participating community and pharmacy partners via testinglocator.cdc.gov. ??
So, Hawaii, we wen pau da public health emergency fo’ COVID-19. But dat no mean we let our guard down. Gotta still stay vigilant an’ care for our ohana. We in dis together. Malama each other, malama da ‘aina. Aloha. ??️??
NOW IN ENGLISH
?? Bid Farewell to the COVID-19 Emergency: Hawaii Leaders Celebrate! ??
Thursday marked the end of the U.S. public health emergency for COVID-19. The leaders of Hawaii celebrated the day, three years later, as a significant milestone. They gave many thanks to the health workers and the locals for all their hard work in keeping the virus under control. ????️
The top doctor, Dr. Kenneth Fink, who is the health director for the state, said this day is crucial. He said that the end of the health emergency means we are moving from COVID-19 being a pandemic to it being an endemic kind of thing. The worst part is over, but the virus is still going to stick around, and we have to live with it. ????
Even though the emergency is over, Fink reminded everyone to stay alert and keep supporting public health readiness.
Our Governor, Josh Green, gave a big shout out to all the healthcare workers who remained strong during the tough times. He also thanked all the locals for wearing masks and getting the vaccine. He said all that hard work paid off, and Hawaii had the lowest death rate and one of the highest COVID-19 vaccination rates of any state. ?️???
The end of the federal public health emergency will cause many changes to the COVID-19 programs.
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services released a fact sheet earlier this week. They said access to the COVID-19 vaccines and some treatments like Paxlovid would not be affected.
Dr. Sarah Kemble, the state epidemiologist, said the government would continue to provide free COVID-19 vaccines for adults and children, and the DOH remains committed to making sure everyone can get them.
Insurance will generally cover COVID-19 tests that healthcare providers order, but might have cost-sharing. But, insurance companies no longer need to cover costs for COVID-19 home tests.
People with Medicaid will still be covered for COVID-19 testing and treatment at no cost until September 2024.
Vaccine requirements for federal workers and contractors, as well as foreign air travelers to the U.S., ended on Thursday as well. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention will stop reporting COVID-19 community levels and other metrics like test positivity as lab reporting requirements change, and as case data becomes less reliable.
Kemble said the DOH would maintain its COVID-19 dashboards and continue to share available data on case counts, test positivity rates, hospitalizations, deaths, and vaccination coverage — and trends by county, age, race, and ethnicity.
The DOH will also continue to track the virus variants and wastewater trends.
But if certain metrics are no longer valid or helpful over time, she said, then the DOH might make changes in the future.
Hawaii’s COVID-19 metrics and hospitalizations remained steady over the past week.
The weekly average of COVID-19 patients in hospitals stayed the same, at 63 per day, with an average of five in intensive care, according to the Healthcare Association of Hawaii.
Four more deaths were also reported, bringing the state’s COVID-19 death toll to 1,896.
“While the federal public health emergency is ending, COVID-19 is not ending,” said Kemble. “Now is a great time to get up to date on COVID-19 shots. If you’re sick, stay home and wear a mask when around others to avoid spreading the disease.” ???
And if you haven’t gotten it yet, you should go get the recommended bivalent booster. ??
Governor Green said the estimated number of COVID-19 deaths in Hawaii was at 4,479 per year and that with interventions the toll was far less. “To imagine over three years more than 12,000 people could have passed if no action was taken is an extraordinary testament to what people in Hawaii are,” he said, “and the values we have when we care for our family.” ???
More than 1.1 million people died of COVID-19 in the U.S., which, according to the CDC, was the third leading cause of death during 2020 and 2021, and the fourth leading cause of death in 2022. ???
Governor Green said the estimated number of COVID-19 deaths in Hawaii was at 4,479 per year and that with interventions the toll was far less. “To imagine over three years more than 12,000 people could have passed if no action was taken is an extraordinary testament to what people in Hawaii are,” he said, “and the values we have when we care for our family.” ???
More than 1.1 million people died of COVID-19 in the U.S., which, according to the CDC, was the third leading cause of death during 2020 and 2021, and the fourth leading cause of death in 2022. ???
WHAT’S COVERED, NOT COVERED NOW THAT THE COVID-19 EMERGENCY HAS ENDED
Covered:
COVID-19 vaccine, fo’ now, still going be available fo’ free to adults an’ kids through da federal government. ?? COVID-19 tests ordered by health care providers generally expected to be covered by insurance but might come with cost-sharing. ?? Those with Medicaid coverage going have access to COVID-19 testing and treatment at no cost through September 2024. ??
Not covered:
At-home COVID-19 tests. Insurance providers no going be required to waive costs or provide free at-home COVID-19 tests. For people with Medicaid, however, COVID-19 testing and treatment remain covered at no cost through September 2024. ❌??
For da uninsured:
Da uninsured can get free testing through CDC’s Increasing Community Access to Testing program. Find participating community and pharmacy partners via testinglocator.cdc.gov. ??
So, Hawaii, we wen pau da public health emergency fo’ COVID-19. But dat no mean we let our guard down. Gotta still stay vigilant an’ care for our ohana. We in dis together. Malama each other, malama da ‘aina. Aloha. ??️??
