17-07-2025
Kokua Line: With dashboard down, where is Hawaii's COVID-19 data?
Question : The state Department of Health 'dashboard ' website that reported current COVID-19 case counts has not been updated for nearly a month. New numbers used to be reported each Wednesday. … A friend of ours, who is very cautious about these kinds of concerns, recently tested positive and picked up chatter that cases are on the rise. As a 'vulnerable senior, ' I check the DOH site regularly. Is there another way to find out the current state of the virus ?
Answer : Yes, although not with such specificity. The Hawaii Respiratory Disease Activity Summary, at, shows an uptick in COVID-19 cases statewide, with disease activity (percent positivity ) described as 'medium ' as of mid-July. COVID-19 was a factor in 2 % of all visits to hospital emergency departments on July 12, double the 1 % found on June 14, according to the summary, which we checked Tuesday.
The COVID-19 dashboards you relied on, and which are no longer being updated, summarized the number of COVID-19 cases statewide and by county on a weekly basis, and also provided data about vaccination, hospitalization and mortality rates, including by age and ethnicity.
The state Department of Health is changing its COVID-19 dashboards 'as we transition to our new data visualization platform. Our previous dashboards will no longer be updated, but new dashboards will be added over the next few weeks, ' according to a message on the DOH website dated June 18.
We asked a DOH spokesperson Tuesday when the new dashboards will be published, and what data categories they will include ; we'll publish the response when we receive it. Several readers have asked similar questions, seeking detailed information about the continuing effects of the virus.
Q : Regarding the scuttling of the Falls of Clyde, what about stuff inside the ship ? There's probably plenty that could be salvaged.
A : Yes, the state Department of Transportation says it worked with a maritime archaeologist last year to catalog and remove historical items from the nearly 147-year-old vessel, which is due to be scuttled in late November at least 12 miles due south of Honolulu Harbor. The salvaged artifacts are stored in a secured facility, the DOT said in a news release Monday.
The Falls of Clyde was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1989 as the world's only surviving four-masted fully-rigged ship, but despite preservation efforts the vessel deteriorated so badly over the years that it lost that designation in 2024, when it was deemed a safety and environmental hazard at imminent risk of sinking, according to the National Park Service, .
Docked at Honolulu Harbor since 2008 (now at Pier 7 ), the ship will undergo work for the next few months to make it tow-worthy and then be disposed of at sea, according to the news release, which said that Shipwright LLC, a Florida-based maritime technical consulting firm, has been hired to oversee the job.
Q : With the passage of the 'One Big Beautiful Bill, ' is it too late to get the electric car rebate ?
A : No, you would need to buy or lease an eligible electric vehicle by Sept. 30 to claim a federal tax credit of up to $7, 500 for a new vehicle or $4, 000 for a used one. Find details at fuel /feg /
Mahalo Much mahalo to Officer Vegas from the Pearl City Police Station, who was very helpful in assisting my recently widowed mother with her tire pressure situation this past Thursday near the Iwilei Costco Tire Center. Kudos for doing a simple act of kindness for a person of the community, exemplifying the Honolulu Police Department motto, 'serving and protecting with aloha.'—Many thanks, S.K.------------Write to Kokua Line at Honolulu Star-Advertiser, 500 Ala Moana Blvd., Suite 2-200, Honolulu, HI 96813 ; call 808-529-4773 ; or email.------------
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