Health Department says delta variant of COVID-19 is spreading across Hawaii

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The delta variant of COVID-19 is spreading rapidly across Hawaii, according to a recent Health Department report, with an additional 53 cases detected since June.

This brings the total number of delta cases detected in the state to 57, with the additional cases added to the four cases detected on June 23.

Health officials said during a press conference at the time that there were likely to be fewer of the highly contagious variant, and that the numbers would likely increase in the next three weeks.

It is now present in all four counties, with the majority of cases, 27 in Honolulu County, seven in Maui County, 14 in Hawaii County, and five in Kauai County.

Among the delta cases, health officials said 10 had the K417N spike mutation, also known as the ‘delta plus’ variant in India. Eight of these were found in Maui County and two in Honolulu County.

Officials said there was evidence of local transmission, and that one case was due to interprovincial transmission.

The dates of the most recent collection of samples containing the delta variant ranged from 15 to 24 June.

The first case of the delta variant was detected in a fully vaccinated Oahu resident who traveled to Nevada in early May. The other three cases in late June were people who had not been vaccinated against the coronavirus.

The state health department continues to urge all those who have not yet been vaccinated against COVID-19 to do so as protection against the delta variant and other variants.

“The highly transmissible Delta variant is now on our shores,” DOH said in a tweet today. “If you haven’t been vaccinated yet, you are putting yourself and your loved ones at risk.”

Here are the details of the worrisome variables discovered statewide in the Department of Health report released Monday:

>> B.1.1.7, which appeared in the UK, also known as Alpha, 577 cases

>> Page 1, which appeared in Brazil, also known as Gamma, 157 cases

>> B.1.617.2, which appeared in India, also known as Delta, 57 cases

>> B.1.351, which appeared in South Africa, also known as beta, 13 cases

Source: Ministry of Health Changing Report (12 July 2021)

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