The state Department of Health is recommending that residents are up to date on their COVID-19 and influenza vaccinations ahead of the upcoming holiday season.
“We often see spikes in COVID-19 and influenza cases during the holiday season due to increased travel and social gatherings,” state epidemiologist Dr. Sarah Kemble said in a statement. “The DOH is providing up-to-date COVID-19 and influenza vaccines to everyone six months of age and older to protect not only themselves but others, especially kupuna and those with weakened immune systems. We encourage everyone to get vaccinated.”
Vaccination rates for the latest coronavirus vaccines recommended by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Sept. 12 are low across the United States.
At last check, only 7% of adults and 2% of children in the United States had received a COVID-19 vaccine that targets the latest variants.
An estimated 98,738 doses of the latest vaccine have been administered in Hawaii, representing nearly 7% of the state’s population, according to self-reported DOH data through Wednesday.
Six months have passed since the United States declared an end to the coronavirus pandemic, but there seems to be little sense of crisis.
A January study by the University of Hawaii’s Institute for Economic Research found that coronavirus fatigue has already set in, with more than a third of those surveyed recognizing that the pandemic is over in their personal lives. There was found.
Therefore, most residents are in no hurry to get the COVID-19 vaccination, even if they are already vaccinated.
Kaiser Permanente Hawaii confirmed that vaccination rates this year are down 6% compared to last year. The COVID-19 vaccine is available to all members six months of age and older at the Kaiser Clinic without an appointment.
Premier Medical Group’s Dr. Scott Miscovich offers the latest COVID-19 vaccines for children and adults at his clinic.
He recommends them to all his patients, but plans to make them available to non-patients as well.
Interest is high among patients 65 and older who have previously been vaccinated, but interest is low among younger patients.
“The interest in people under 50 is almost non-existent,” he says. “Maybe some people will watch the two-shot series first and say, ‘I’ve had COVID twice and I’ve already been vaccinated,’ but they just don’t want to do that. They think they are protected.”
Some patients say they are not worried because they do not feel that COVID-19 is a health threat to them.
Miscovich then said he would explain why this latest vaccine is different from the one rolled out in 2020.
He also reminded patients that conditions such as diabetes and being overweight increase the risk of contracting COVID-19, which many people are unaware of.
The newly updated 2023-24 COVID-19 vaccine targets the Omicron variant XBB strain, which DOH said in September accounts for the majority of COVID-19 cases in Hawaii. Announced.
The CDC recommends that everyone 6 months of age and older receive up-to-date vaccines to prevent serious illness, hospitalization, and death.
Federal health officials also avoided the term “booster” to help people understand that just as flu shots are updated annually, so too are COVID-19 shots. It’s called a vaccine.
Miscovich said people whose last vaccination was a year ago have a weaker immune system, and it declines even more rapidly in older people and people with weakened immune systems, so protection is less effective. It is said to be minimal.
It also didn’t help that the rollout of new vaccines through commercial markets across the country was erratic.
In September, some residents who sought vaccines at Long’s Drugs, a CVS pharmacy, were not covered by the Hawaii Health Services Association, one of the state’s largest insurers, and faced up to $200 in copays. I was told I had to pay.
HMSA said technical issues caused delays in reporting, but have now been resolved. But then residents dealt with last-minute cancellations of appointments at the pharmacy due to supply issues. Some parents are also finding it difficult to get their young children vaccinated against COVID-19.
Meanwhile, Hawaii’s weekly infection and hospitalization rates are lower than their summer infection rates.
On Wednesday, the DOH reported an average of 69 new coronavirus cases per day and an average positivity rate of 7.3%, down from 8.0% reported the previous week.
Hospitals have been reporting an average of 50 COVID-19 patients per day, with little change over five weeks.
However, the number of COVID-19 related deaths continues to rise, with 10 more reported on Wednesday, bringing Hawaii’s COVID-19 death toll now to 2,075. Most of the deaths have occurred among residents age 65 and older.
Tracking indicators of COVID-19 has also become difficult as more residents are switching to at-home tests instead of PCR tests, which are not reported to the state.
Due to the small amount of clinical specimens being sequenced, the DOH state laboratory said it is issuing COVID-19 variant reports once every four weeks instead of every two weeks to provide more meaningful data. There is.
Wastewater monitoring has also been stalled due to a contract dispute with the CDC with Biobot Analytics, which until September was tracking and sampling the virus in Hawaii’s wastewater.
The CDC chose to switch to Alphabet Inc.-owned Verily, but Biobot is protesting the ruling, and DOH said Hawaii’s sewage testing will be delayed until the ruling is reached.
As long as coronaviruses continue to circulate, they will continue to evolve, with the Omicron variant HV.1 currently predominant in the United States. That’s why it’s important to have the latest vaccines, Miscovich said.
He expects cases to rise over the holidays due to increased gatherings and especially fewer people wearing masks. This will occur on an annual, seasonal basis. COVID-19 hasn’t gone away yet, he said.
“If you’re going to spend time with kupuna, you need to be aware that they’re at risk and be careful,” he says. “Get vaccinated. Think of this as a virus that will be with us forever. People over 65 are at risk.”