News & Updates
The Good, The Bad, and Social Distancing in Hawaii
During times of crisis, the vulnerable are at even greater risk of becoming casualties of fast moving events. In Hawaii and throughout the nation, we are beginning to see how the current pandemic is overwhelming seniors, those living in poverty, those living on the edge of poverty, and the homeless. They are the most vulnerable in these times. And while they may be overwhelmed, in Hawaii, they are never left behind. That is not what we do nor who we are.
Local Expert-Driven COVID-19 Models for Hawaii Are Long Overdue
We learned the hard way that modeling COVID-19 forecasts is not one-size-fits-all. Recently, we wrote about the advantages of the University of Washington IHME model for understanding peak hospital demand in Hawaii, only to shortly thereafter advise caution in interpreting the model because the projected hospital capacity peak had suddenly shifted by three weeks [link]. A closer inspection of the model revealed problematic assumptions, and underscored a real vulnerability for Hawaii in not having a valid local model.
Insights from the Hawaii COVID Contact Tracking Survey
This is the first in a series posts highlighting results from the Hawaii COVID Contact Tracking Survey conducted by the National Disaster Preparedness Training Center (NDPTC) and the Pacific Urban Resilience Lab (PURL) at University of Hawaii at Manoa. The Hawaii Data Collaborative has partnered with this group to share regular analyses and updates from this survey in the coming weeks.
[Updated] Can Hawaii's Hospitals Meet Peak COVID-19 Demand?
We have been working to evaluate multiple modeling tools for projecting peak hospital demand and capacity sufficiency in Hawaii. The University of Washington (UW) Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME) model was identified as best suited for projecting Hawaii hospital capacity in the coming weeks.
Understanding COVID-19 Transmission in Hawaii
To help illustrate the role of social distancing measures in preventing the spread of COVID-19, we have been working to adapt current transmission models for Hawaii… you can see how existing mitigation efforts are projected to influence the spread of the virus, as compared to no action and more aggressive measures… These forecasts were generated using an accessible modeling tool created by researchers at the University of Basel in Switzerland. This model is updated continuously as new information about COVID-19 becomes available.