Josh Green

On December 20th, amid rising case counts, the Lieutenant Governor called for the set-up of mass booster and testing clinics ahead of the holidays. View the memo addressed to Governor Ige and Department of Health Director Libby Char here.

Over the past two weeks, Hawaiʻi’s case counts, positivity rates and hospitalizations have increased exponentially following a troubling national trend. Early data suggests that booster shots are not only essential to combat waning immunity, but also for additional protection from the highly infectious omicron variant. However, only 22% of Hawaii’s residents have received a booster shot, leaving many of our residents still at significant risk.

The Lieutenant Governor has recommended the following to Governor Ige and Hawaii Department of Health Director Libby Char:

1. Offer Mass Booster and Testing Sites in Each County December 23^rd and 24^th. Offering an easy way for residents to be boosted and tested has the potential to significantly reduce hospitalizations resulting from holiday gatherings expected in the coming weeks. Efforts this week will save our hospitals in the coming weeks.

 

2. Mandated Time Off. Socioeconomic disparities in vaccination rates are expected to be exacerbated in booster rollouts. To maximize the number of people we can reach, employees should be given time off for boosters by mandate.

 

3. Plan for Two Additional Days of Mass Booster Clinics. Moderna’s results show that a 50 microgram booster raised antibody levels 37-fold compared with pre-boost levels. Offering widely publicized booster clinics that can offer shots to thousands of people each day will dramatically increase our State’s level of protection.

 

View the full memo here.

View updated COVID-19 Data from the Department of Health here.