Daily Archives: July 7, 2021

The delta variant, first detected in India, is spreading across the globe. In parts of the U.S., the strain accounts for more than 80% of new infections, according to CDC estimates. Boris Roessler/DPA/Picture Alliance via Getty hide caption

The delta variant, first detected in India, is spreading across the globe. In parts of the U.S., the strain accounts for more than 80% of new infections, according to CDC estimates.

The highly contagious delta variant now accounts for more than 51% of COVID-19 cases in the U.S., according to new estimates released by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The variant, also known as B.1.617.2, was first detected in India and is spreading quickly across the globe.

And in parts of the U.S., the delta strain accounts for more than 80% of new infections, including some Midwestern states such as Missouri, Kansas and Iowa.

The delta variant is already causing 74.3% of infections in Western states, including Utah and Colorado, and 58.8% of infections in Southern states such as Texas, Louisiana, Arkansas and Oklahoma, according to CDC estimates.

The good news is the vaccines being used in the U.S. all appear to be highly effective at protecting against serious disease, hospitalization and death. And public health officials are urging the roughly 140 million to 150 million people who remain unvaccinated to get vaccinated.

"Right now we have two Americas: the vaccinated and the unvaccinated America," says Dr. Paul Offit, an infectious disease specialist at Children's Hospital of Philadelphia.

"We're feeling pretty good right now because it's the summer. But come winter, if we still have a significant percentage of the population that is unvaccinated, we're going to see this virus surge again," Offit says.

And it's crucial to increase vaccinations in other countries, says Saad Omer, a vaccine researcher at Yale. "The world has to get its act together," Omer says. "Otherwise yet another, potentially more dangerous variant could emerge."

View original post here:

Delta Is Now The Dominant Coronavirus Variant In The U.S. - NPR

Inbound travelers will be required to isolate until they receive the results of the PCR test they underwent upon arrival and rapid corona tests also known as antigen tests will be performed at summer camps and programs for children and at the entrance of nursing homes, the coronavirus cabinet decided on Wednesday, announcing that the most important criteria to guide the governments action will be the number of serious patients, which has remained low throughout the current outbreak.

In a press conference later in day, Coronavirus Commissioner Prof. Nachman Ash also announced that the list of countries from which vaccinated and recovered individuals will be required to quarantine is going to be expanded to include not only nations under currently under travel ban that Israelis cannot visit unless they obtain a special governmental permission - but also countries under travel warning.

At the moment, the first includes Argentina, Brazil, India, Mexico, Russia and South Africa, the second Bolivia, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Ethiopia, Maldives, Namibia, Nepal, Paraguay, Seychelles, Tunisia, Uganda, United Arab Emirates and Uruguay. The lists are updated every two weeks.

A cabinets spokesperson said that in order to increase the publics cooperation in observing quarantine regulations, the Health Ministry will start studying the question of whether the isolation period can be reduced. Ash said that they will consider all the data on the topic from Israel and from abroad and then they will see whether it is possible to recommend to shorten the period and of how many days.

Asked about whether vaccinated tourists will be allowed in starting from August 1 as planned, he said that the issue will be discussed in the coming days.

cnxps.cmd.push(function () { cnxps({ playerId: '36af7c51-0caf-4741-9824-2c941fc6c17b' }).render('4c4d856e0e6f4e3d808bbc1715e132f6'); });

The new measures approved by the cabinet are expected to come into effect in about a week, in order to give an appropriate window of time for the public to prepare, Ash said, adding that the rapid testing for children and visitors of nursing homes are expected to be funded by the state.

In light of the data we have, we are aiming for maximum protection for those who live in Israel and their health, along with a minimum of economic damage and disruption to daily life, Prime Minister Naftali Bennett said while opening the meeting.

We will try as much as possible to be transparent, to explain to the public what we are doing and to give appropriate notice before steps are taken, he added.

The ministers did not approve any new drastic restriction, such as requiring parents of an infected child to quarantine even if they are vaccinated or demanding an additional test for all those entering Israel after four days.

Instead, the authorities will focus on continue to encourage people to get vaccinated and to be careful to wear masks indoors, as it is currently required, as well as to step up enforcement.

The cabinet reconvened on Wednesday after the meeting was adjourned without any decision on Tuesday night.

Some 521 new virus carriers were identified on Tuesday, with over 85,000 tests processed. Both numbers mark the highest since March.

Some 46 patients were in serious condition as of Wednesday afternoon, six more than on the previous days. At the lowest on June 20, the number stood at 21.

While the serious morbidity has registered a slight increase since the beginning of the current outbreak which has seen the number of active cases in the country surging from less than 200 to almost 3,300 - the increase has been very limited compared to what was happening in the past.

A likely explanation for this development is that more than 40% of current virus carriers are schoolchildren, and almost half are people who were fully vaccinated. Both groups are unlikely to develop serious symptoms.

About 40% of the patients in serious conditions were also fully vaccinated. Ash said that most of them belonged to groups considered at risk (over 60 or with pre-existing conditions).

Asked about the possibility of a new lockdown, the commissioner said that he very much hoped that Israel is not going to need it.

It depends on the number of patients in serious conditions, if we were in a situation where the health system is in danger and we want to stop the increase, Ash noted. We are talking about a situation where we have hundreds of serious patients hospitalized.

Original post:

Coronavirus: Inbound travelers to isolate until receiving test results - The Jerusalem Post

WELLINGTON, New Zealand New Zealand medical regulators have approved use of the Johnson & Johnson coronavirus vaccine, after earlier in the year approving the Pfizer vaccine.

But New Zealands government intends to stick with its plan of primarily using the Pfizer vaccine to inoculate the population of 5 million.

The provisional approval for the J&J vaccine by regulator Medsafe applies to adults aged 18 and over and will need to be signed-off on by the Cabinet, which will likely happen next month.

New Zealand has an agreement to buy 2 million doses of the J&J vaccine. COVID-19 Response Minister Chris Hipkins says having a second vaccine will provide increased flexibility and it could be used in emergencies or in locations that are hard to reach.

___

MORE ON THE PANDEMIC:

Tokyo Olympics approach, virus worries rise in Japan

Bangladesh hits record 11,525 daily virus cases

Israel to ship 700K Pfizer doses to South Korea in swap deal

Unending grief of COVID-19 deaths causing problems for some

Follow more of APs pandemic coverage at https://apnews.com/hub/coronavirus-pandemic and https://apnews.com/hub/coronavirus-vaccine

___

HERES WHAT ELSE IS HAPPENING:

___

SYDNEY A two-week-old pandemic lockdown in Australias biggest city is being extended for another week due to the vulnerability of a population largely unvaccinated against the coronavirus.

New South Wales state Premier Gladys Berejiklian said Wednesday that health experts recommended pushing the lockdown in Sydney on to midnight July 16.

The decision means most children in Sydney and some nearby communities will not return to school next week following their mid-year break.

Only 9% of Australian adults are fully vaccinated, heightening fears that the delta variant of the coronavirus could quickly spread beyond control.

There have been more than 300 coronavirus infections in Sydney linked to a limousine driver who tested positive June 16. He is thought to have been infected while transporting a U.S. flight crew from the airport.

___

SEOUL, South Korea South Korea is reporting more than 1,200 new coronavirus cases, a level unseen since the worst of its outbreak in December as it slips into another virus surge with most of its people unvaccinated.

The 1,212 new cases reported Wednesday came close to South Koreas largest daily increase during the pandemic, on Christmas Day, when officials listed 1,240 new cases.

The government had planned to raise the cap on private social gatherings from four to six people and allow restaurants to extend indoor dining by two hours starting this month. But officials in Seoul and nearby areas have held off as infections rise.

Just 30% of South Koreas people have received the first dose of a coronavirus vaccine as of Wednesday.

Prime Minister Kim Boo-kyum says officials will consider tougher social distancing rules if transmissions continue to grow over the next two or three days.

___

HARARE, Zimbabwe Zimbabwe has returned to strict lockdown measures to combat a resurgence of COVID-19 amid vaccine shortages.

Infections have dramatically increased in recent weeks despite a night curfew, reduced business hours, localized lockdowns in hotspot areas, and bans on inter-city travel.

The countrys information minister announced the virus has spread to rural areas which have sparse health facilities.

Information Minister Monica Mutsvangwa announced after a Cabinet meeting that most people must stay at home, similar to restrictions on movement adopted in March last year when towns and cities became almost deserted.

People will now need letters from employers to justify why they must venture out of their neighborhood.

Zimbabwe is one of more than 14 African countries where the delta variant s quickly spreading. The delta variant was first identified in India.

___

DENVER The Denver Zoo will begin vaccinating some of its animals for COVID-19 as early as next week.

Zoologists say they have been working with the veterinary vaccine company Zoetis to receive doses for the animals, and primates and carnivores will be first on the list.

KMGH-TV reports the veterinary vaccine is being developed separate from the ones for human use.

Transmission is rare between humans and other species, but there have been several documented cases of COVID-19 in large cats, monkeys and certain rodent populations.

Veterinary scientists dont think common house pets like cats or dogs are in significant danger of catching COVID-19.

___

WASHINGTON President Joe Biden says the rise of a more transmissible COVID-19 variant in the U.S. should cause everybody to think twice.

Speaking Tuesday at the White House as he outlined his administrations summer plans to boost vaccinations, Biden said the delta variant first identified in India is now responsible for a majority of new virus cases in much of the country.

It seems to me it should cause everybody to think twice, and it should cause reconsideration especially among young people, he said, referencing the demographic least at risk of negative outcomes from the virus.

Biden says the surest way for Americans to protect themselves and their loved ones is to get vaccinated. He said the White House was working with state and local partners to support hyper-local vaccination drives in communities with low uptake.

___

BUCHAREST, Romania Declining demand for coronavirus vaccinations in Romania has prompted authorities to close 117 vaccination centers and to reduce the schedule at 371 others, health officials said Tuesday.

In the previous week we re-evaluated the efficiency of fixed vaccination centers. About 80% of fixed vaccination centers vaccinate less than 25% of the vaccination capacity allocated to each stream, national vaccination committee chief Valeriu Gheorghita said at a press conference Tuesday.

The number of daily vaccinations in Romania has consistently dropped from a mid-May peak of around 120,000 a day to less than 20,000 a day over the last week. Just 24% of people in Romania a country of more than 19 million have been fully vaccinated against COVID-19. The number of daily coronavirus infections in recent weeks has dropped to record lows, but Gheorghita warned Tuesday of a possible resurgence due to the delta strain, which was first identified in India.

If a resurgence increased demand for vaccines, he said, the closed vaccine centers could quickly resume activities.

Authorities have reported more than a million infections since the pandemic began and 34,021 have died.

___

NIXA, Mo. As the coronavirus surges in Missouri, a group opposed to masking and other public safety measures have gathered enough signatures to force a vote on whether to recall a mayor in a hard-hit region, even though the requirements have long since expired.

The Springfield News-Leader reports that Nixa voters will have the option to recall Mayor Brian Steele at a special election set for Nov. 2.

Nixa, which has about 21,000 residents, is located about 10 miles (16.09 kilometers) south of Springfield, where hospitals are overflowing with COVID-19 patients.

Health officials are blaming low vaccination rates and the delta variant, first identified in India, for the surge. Just 44.8% of the states residents have received at least the first dose of the vaccine, compared to 54.9% nationally.

And the rate is even lower in southwest Missouri. Christian County, where Nixa is located, has a vaccine rate of 35.2%. Some nearby counties have rates in the teens.

___

PHOENIX Arizonas confirmed pandemic death toll reached 18,000 on Tuesday with 21 more deaths. There were 900 confirmed coronavirus cases after the three-day July 4 holiday weekend.

As of Sunday, Arizona ranked 12th highest among U.S. states in total COVID-19 deaths since Jan. 21, 2020. Its sixth highest in the number of deaths per 100,000 population, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

On Monday, the state reported no additional deaths after only four on Sunday. The states seven-day rolling average of daily deaths registered at 9.4, down from 10.7 on June 20, according to Johns Hopkins University.

Arizonas confirmed pandemic case total reached 897,910 on Tuesday. The seven-day rolling average of daily new cases increased in the past two weeks from 423 on June 20 to 492 on Sunday.

Nearly 50% of the population has had at least one dose of vaccine.

___

MOSCOW Russian authorities allowed vaccinated Russians and those who have recovered from COVID-19 in the last six months not to get tested for the virus upon arrival from abroad.

Coronavirus deaths in Russia hit another daily record on Tuesday, with authorities reporting 737 more deaths and 23,378 confirmed cases.

Those who are not vaccinated and havent had coronavirus recently will be required to take a test within three days of arrival and self-isolate until receiving the results. The amended regulations, announced Tuesday by the countrys public health agency Rospotrebnadzor, will take effect on Wednesday. The rules in place since May 1 mandated all Russians to take two coronavirus tests within five days of arrival.

The eased regulations come amid reports of state and private testing facilities being overwhelmed with the increased demand.

___

DHAKA, Bangladesh Bangladesh has reported 11,525 positive cases, the highest in a day since the start of the coronavirus pandemic.

Another 163 people died in the last 24 hours, raising the total number to 15,392, according to the government. Bangladeshs cases of new infections increased last month when the delta variant first discovered in India hit the countrys border regions in the northern and southwestern Bangladesh.

Bangladesh shares a large border with India and health experts say the actual number of both infections and deaths is likely higher. The country is facing a crisis in vaccination after India stopped exports of AstraZeneca shots because of its own outbreak in April. Bangladesh has a deal to get 30 million doses from Indias Serum Institute.

Only 4 million Bangladeshis have been vaccinated in a country of 160 million people. Authorities are hoping to start a new mass vaccination campaign with Chinas Sinopharm and other vaccines.

___

LONDON The British government is scrapping coronavirus rules for schools that have seen hundreds of thousands of pupils sent home to self-isolate.

Education Secretary Gavin Williamson says starting July 19, schools will no longer group children in class or year-group bubbles, with all members of the group sent home if one person tests positive for the coronavirus.

With infections climbing in the U.K., the system has led to major disruption for schools and families. On July 1, 471,000 children in England were self-isolating because of potential contact with a virus case at school.

Williamson says in mid-August, close contacts of children who test positive will no longer have to self-isolate. He said the government plans to lift social distancing rules and other educational restrictions for the start of the new school year in September. However, some protective measures -- including enhanced hygiene and ventilation -- will remain in place.

___

JAKARTA, Indonesia In Myanmar, the military has declared war on health care workers.

Medics were early and fierce opponents of the militarys takeover of the nations government in February. Security forces are arresting, attacking and killing medical workers and have dubbed them enemies of the state.

Medics have been driven underground amid a global coronavirus pandemic and the countrys already fragile health care system is crumbling. Myanmar is now one of the most dangerous places on earth for health care workers, with 240 attacks this year. Thats nearly half of the 508 globally tracked by the World Health Organization and by far the highest of any country.

The military has issued arrest warrants for 400 doctors and 180 nurses, with photos of their faces plastered over state media like Wanted posters. They are charged with supporting and taking part in the civil disobedience movement.

___

BEIJING A Chinese city bordering Myanmar is stepping up efforts to fight a third coronavirus outbreak after several locally transmitted cases were reported this week.

Ruili, located in the southwestern province of Yunnan, has initiated mass testing and imposed a lockdown to prevent people from entering or leaving the city unless they can prove their travel is necessary, according to the local government.

More than 230,000 test samples have been collected since Monday, and the Jiegao border community was named a medium-risk area on Tuesday, the official Xinhua News Agency reported.

The large number of exchanges along the border at Ruili and Myanmars difficulties in handling the pandemic have made it particularly difficult to control new transmissions. Strict anti-pandemic measures have largely prevented local cases in other parts of China over recent months, leaving the countrys death toll from the pandemic static at 4,636 among almost 92,000 reported cases, according to official statistics.

Original post:

The Latest: New Zealand gives tentative OK for 2nd vaccine - The Associated Press

Dont get too cocky, Colorado, but we have some eagerly awaited news for you: Parts of the state are slowly, but steadily, inching closer to herd immunity from coronavirus one way or another.

The latest from the coronavirus outbreak in Colorado:

>> FULL COVERAGE

More than 50% of the states total population has now been fully immunized against the virus, according to figures from the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment. (The state was one of only 20 to reach President Joe Bidens goal of having 70% of its adult population receive at least one dose of vaccine by July 4.)

But, when you add in immunity that comes from having been infected by the virus, there are regions of the state where likely more than 60% of the population is currently immune, according to modeling estimates. Herd immunity the level at which enough people are immune that the virus is forced into decline has often been pegged at around 70% for coronavirus, though that number may be changing as more transmissible variants take over.

Where the most-immune regions are and how they achieved their immunity, though, says a lot about the state of the pandemic in Colorado right now. Heres what you need to know.

Theres more than one way to get to herd immunity. Both vaccination and infection get the job done though, of course, the latter route is rougher.

Every few weeks, the Colorado COVID-19 Modeling Group, which is made up of university researchers around the state, releases a region-by-region report on the state of the pandemic. Among the figures it produces is an estimate for coronavirus immunity, which takes into account the vaccination rate in the region and the estimated infection rate.

In its latest report, the modeling team estimated that two regions in Colorado have overall immunity percentages above 55%: The East Central region, which includes Cheyenne, Elbert, Kit Carson and Lincoln counties; and the metro area, including Gilpin and Clear Creek counties.

Two more regions the Northeast region and the South Central region were above 50%. And, because the reports estimates only considered data through the middle of June, those numbers are all higher now likely above 60% in the most-immune places.

(The team produces estimates by region because it helps smooth over data blips from small population sizes in some counties and because the regions better encapsulate how people actually move around in the state the bubbles where people live and shop and mingle.)

Interestingly, the East Central and the metro area came about their immunity differently. The modeling teams report estimated that the metro area had one of the highest vaccination rates in the state around 55% of the population was fully vaccinated, as of late June. The East Central region, meanwhile, had the lowest vaccination rate only about 26% were fully vaccinated. Instead, the East Central regions estimated immunity comes largely through infection, according to the report.

This insight into the differences among highly immune regions of the state underlines a bigger issue: Vaccinations rates are extraordinarily uneven across Colorado.

As of Tuesday, CDPHE reported that more than 70% of the eligible population has been fully vaccinated against coronavirus in six counties. Another 24 counties have at least 50% of their eligible population fully vaccinated.

Meanwhile, fewer than 40% of the eligible population has been fully vaccinated in 18 counties, including four counties where less than 30% of the population has been fully vaccinated.

Where large pockets of unvaccinated people exist, the virus has the chance to thrive. That will lead to an increasing unevenness in how the pandemic is experienced across the state.

Were going to see a lot of patchiness in whos affected in where there are problems, said Dr. Jonathan Samet, the dean of the Colorado School of Public Health.

A good example of this right now is in Mesa County, where the vaccination rate is low. Coronavirus cases, driven by the highly transmissible Delta variant of the virus, have swamped local hospitals. Entering the Fourth of July weekend, 96% of the regions hospital beds were occupied. In the Denver metro area, where vaccination rates are higher, about 80% of hospital beds were occupied.

Samet said this shows how the coronavirus pandemic is no longer a single thing in Colorado. It will take different paths in different communities based on vaccination rates.

We really have a series of epidemics now, Samet said.

Despite these hot spots across the state, infections overall are in decline across the state.

Between 300 and 350 new cases are being reported per day, on average. Thats down from more than 1,500 cases per day in late April.

The decline in cases has leveled off, though. The total number of new cases per week has been increasing slightly for the past two weeks.

Around 280 people are currently hospitalized in Colorado with confirmed coronavirus infections down from nearly 700 in early May. But hospitalization numbers have also flattened out in recent weeks.

About four or five people with coronavirus are dying per day in Colorado.

Overall things are moving in the right direction, albeit slower than I think we all wish as a consequence of the Delta variant, Samet said.

He added: What you might say is we could have declined faster if we had not had this more transmissible strain.

This improvement shouldnt mask the fact that the coronavirus is more prevalent in Colorado now than it was last summer.

At this time last year, the state was seeing about 280 new coronavirus cases per day, and about 170 people were in the hospital with confirmed coronavirus infections.

Nationally, Colorado is ranked eighth among U.S. states for the highest new coronavirus case rates an improvement from May, when the state was ranked No. 1, but still nothing to celebrate.

This is partly due to the Delta variant, which has hit Colorado harder so far than it has hit most other states. The variant is estimated to account for 80% of all new coronavirus cases in the state, compared with about 20% of new cases nationally.

But Samet said the lower case rates at this time last year were also due to the prolonged statewide shutdown last spring. And, he said, people were likely more cautious last year, too.

People are behaving like its 2019 all over again, he said. Its not.

One advantage we have this year over last: Samet said it is unlikely we will see the same kind of post-Fourth of July case wave that we saw in 2020.

Why? Because last years wave the states second of what have now been four distinct waves of the virus was caused by people breaking their isolation and gathering around the July 4 holiday. But Samet noted that in 2021 weve been gathering with abandon for months now.

Bars and restaurants are operating at full indoor capacity. The Rockies can host full-capacity games. Mask orders have gone away. And cases continue to decline overall.

Were sustaining all of that, Samet said.

Just as Colorado starts creeping up toward herd immunity, though, the goal posts have moved.

Blame the Delta variant as well as the Alpha variant, which is also more transmissible than the original form of the coronavirus and accounts for an estimated 14% of new cases in the state. These more-transmissible forms mean that the herd immunity threshold has risen perhaps to around 80%, Samet said.

Thats because herd immunity comes from a relatively simple calculation, one where the only variable is how transmissible the virus is. The more transmissible the virus, the higher the percentage needed for herd immunity.

And, to Samet, the best way to continue boosting those immunity numbers in Colorado is through vaccination.

The more people who are vaccinated, he said, the better off we are as a society.

The Colorado Sun has no paywall, meaning readers do not have to pay to access stories. We believe vital information needs to be seen by the people impacted, whether its a public health crisis, investigative reporting or keeping lawmakers accountable.

This reporting depends on support from readers like you. For just $5/month, you can invest in an informed community.

See original here:

When will Colorado reach coronavirus herd immunity? - The Colorado Sun

Confirmed cases of COVID-19 have passed 184.6 million globally, according to Johns Hopkins University. The number of confirmed deaths stands at more than 3.99 million. More than 3.25 billion vaccination doses have been administered globally, according to Our World in Data.

A mass rapid-testing scheme in Liverpool, England, reduced COVID-19 cases by more than a fifth, researchers announced.

South Korea has reported its second-highest number of daily new COVID-19 cases ever, prompting officials to consider reintroducing restrictions.

European Union countries have ordered nearly 40 million additional doses of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine.

From 16 August, fully vaccinated adults and all children in England will not need to self-isolate after close contact with someone who tests positive for COVID-19.

New Zealand's health regulator has given provisional approval for the Janssen COVID-19 vaccine.

Mexico has reported its highest jump in new COVID-19 cases since late February.

Indonesia has prepared backup medical facilities should the current surge in cases worsen further, an official said. It comes as the country reported a record number of fatalities.

Greece has reported a jump in new COVID-19 infections after several weeks of declines.

As part of work identifying promising technology use cases to combat COVID, The Boston Consulting Group recently used contextual AI to analyze more than 150 million English language media articles from 30 countries published between December 2019 to May 2020.

The result is a compendium of hundreds of technology use cases. It more than triples the number of solutions, providing better visibility into the diverse uses of technology for the COVID-19 response.

To see a full list of 200+ exciting technology use cases during COVID please follow this link.

New South Wales state Premier Gladys Berejiklian has extended a lockdown in Sydney for at least another week. Strict stay-at-home measures had been due to end on Friday, but will now stay in place until at least 16 July.

Berejiklian warned that Australia's biggest city was bound to see a rise in new cases as a result of the highly infectious Delta variant.

"This Delta strain is a game-changer, it is extremely transmissible and more contagious than any other form of the virus that we've seen," she told reporters.

Daily new confirmed COVID-19 cases per million people in Australia

Image: Our World in Data

The World Health Organization has recommended using arthritis drugs from Roche and Sanofi with corticosteroids for COVID-19 patients.

The move comes after data from 11,000 patients suggested they cut the risk of death and the need for mechanical ventilation.

"We have updated our clinical care treatment guidance to reflect this latest development," WHO Health Emergencies official Janet Diaz said.

The WHO analysis showed the risk of dying within 28 days for patients getting one of the arthritis drugs with corticosteroids such as dexamethasone is 21%, compared with an assumed 25% risk among those who got standard care. For every 100 such patients, four more will survive, the WHO said.

Written by

Joe Myers, Writer, Formative Content

The views expressed in this article are those of the author alone and not the World Economic Forum.

Continue reading here:

COVID-19: What you need to know about the pandemic on 7 July - World Economic Forum

HONOLULU (KHON2) Folks who are fully vaccinated in the United States may enter Hawaii without pre-travel testing or quarantine starting Thursday, July 8. Lt. Gov. Josh Green is hopeful this will streamline the process at the airports.

They anticipate a lot of front-end clearance. The airlines have been doing a good job by clearing people with wristbands. We anticipate shorter lines once people start using their vaccination cards because otherwise, it will be a little clunky, said Green.

Greg Maples of the Hawaii Restaurant Association (HRA) told KHON2 they think this means there is going to be more people who come to Hawaii because it is easier to get here.

And thats just going to cause even more trouble for restaurants, because right now, and let me be very clear, we have three big problems for the restaurants right now: capacity, staffing, supply chain, said Maples.

The state says the size of social gatherings will be expanded to 25 people indoors and 75 outdoors. Restaurants will also be able to increase capacity to 75% all of which will begin on Thursday.

The 75% capacity, really without a change in the 6-feet social distancing wont do much for restaurants, said Maples. For example at our restaurant, were still at 50% capacity because we have to maintain six feet.

Capacity restrictions and staffing issues have plagued Scratch Kitchen and Meatery.

Theyre asking for minimum plus bonus plus tips and all that kind of stuff, said General Manager Richard Wong. They want more and whoever is going to give them the best deal is who is going to get to be able to hire people.

Retailers are also affected by the 6-foot social distancing guideline.

So you have long lines outside. Nobody likes to stand out in the hot sun, said Tina Yamaki of Retail Merchants of Hawaii. So we are seeing, you know, businesses, transactions being lost that way too. So if the distance is shorter, we can have more people in our stores.

Link:

Coronavirus restrictions relaxing in Hawaii for travel, gatherings. Are things about to get even busier? - KHON2