Prognosis

Hawaii, Masked and Vaccinated, Still Falls Prey to Delta Strain

A healthcare worker with Project Vision Hawaii administers a Covid-19 vaccine dose to at a clinic in Honolulu on July 14.Photographer: Jennifer Sinco Kelleher/AP Photo
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Hawaii has one of the country’s most comprehensive mask mandates and a highly effective vaccine campaign. Despite that, Covid-19 cases on the islands are climbing with a ferocity that’s outstripping every other U.S. state.

On Thursday, Hawaii recorded 655 new cases, a record since the beginning of the pandemic. Test-positivity rates surged to the highest in a year at 6.9%, according to the state’s health department.