Hawaii COVID data not released due to system upgrade

HONOLULU (KHON2) – The Hawaii Department of Health will not be releasing new COVID numbers for the state of Hawaii due to their ongoing upgrades to their disease surveillance system.

Shawn Hamamoto with DOH said although they didn’t release any new information on Wednesday Feb. 22 they will release new data the following week. 

“Due to an ongoing upgrade of the DOH disease surveillance system infrastructure, we are not able to provide an update to the COVID-19 data and dashboards this week (February 22, 2023). Updates will resume on Wednesday, March 1, 2023,” said Hamamoto.

The state could see a jump in COVID numbers next week as the health department releases the data for Feb. 22 and March 1. 

“While there will be no update this week, this will not cause a gap in the data, and the counts from this week will be included in next week’s update,” said Hamamoto. “This is an upgrade to some internal database infrastructure for our disease surveillance system and does not involve any changes to the data and dashboards published on the DOH website.”

The health department still recommends getting a COVID test if you have any COVID like symptoms or have been exposed to someone who tested positive for COVID and started developing symptoms shortly after. 

Although there is not a mask mandate in the state of Hawaii, the health department lists a few reasons why you should still keep a mask on hand in case you need it when out in public.

Should you wear a mask?

• Wearing a mask with two or more layers helps protect yourself and those around you.
• When worn over your nose and mouth, masks reduce the spread of your respiratory droplets to others.
• You should wear a mask even if you do not feel sick.  Studies have found that people with COVID-19 who are asymptomatic or pre-symptomatic can still spread the virus to other people.  Wearing a mask protects those around you, in case you are infected but not showing symptoms.
• A mask is NOT a substitute for physical distancing (remaining 6 feet apart from others) but is especially important when in close contact with other people.

For more information about COVID cases in Hawaii head to the Hawaii Department of Health’s website.