This is Now (August 13, 2021)

As Hawaii reported its highest COVID case count since the start of the pandemic on Friday, Gov. David Ige pleaded with the public, saying it’s time to start changing behaviors and stop gathering as the delta variant spreads rapidly in the community. “Our heroes in healthcare on the frontlines battling COVID again are being asked to save us,” Ige said, in a news conference Friday. “It is unfair. Unfair because we all can save ourselves. Our behavior can save us. The actions we take each and every day can make a difference in the battle against COVID.” On Friday, Hawaii reported 1,167 new COVID-19 infections and one additional fatality. Ige reiterated that even though some of the cases were numbers that would’ve been reported Wednesday and Thursday due to an interruption in an electronic lab reporting system, the fact remains that 1,167 additional people are infected by COVID. And the overwhelming majority of them are unvaccinated.