It is all overwhelming. This COVID19 Coronavirus pandemic that is.

MAUI LOVERS, I need your help. After reading this blog, you please share this post on your Facebook Timelines, Twitter and any other social media channels you can share this on. It’s not for me … it’s for Maui community. This post will include some valuable information as we try to help each other in the community. I will share some of the useful posts I have seen and hope that others will see it too. I will also share some of my thoughts so this is not your typical news … this is a blog from my heart. Mahalo….

P.S. I have another post coming of just the beauty of Maui … but it is important to share some of these now:

1. Why Wait This Thursday? Quarantine Now!

It is good that Gov. Ige finally did a proclamation for Hawaii to quarantine all arrivals to the state for 14 days. But seriously, why start on Thursday? Why not start now? The governor should have declared for it to be effective immediately because the virus is spreading quickly. Anyhow, I beseech all of you arriving on Hawaii, especially Maui, to self-quarantine yourself to 14 days even if you arrive today, Monday or anytime before Thursday. Mahalo.

2. Drive Through Testing Starts Today, Monday, 3/23/20.

https://www.mauicounty.gov/civicalerts.aspx?AID=9932

Here is a quote from my doctor, Dr. Kenneth Kepler when this was first announced:

Maui will be getting drive through testing MONDAY!! Thank you Mayor Victorino, Lt Gov Josh Green, Dr. Lorrin Pang. A huge special thanks to Maui Health Systems and to Kaiser Permanente!!

IMPORTANT: do NOT just show up. You must have an appt. If you just show up, that kind of flooding will crush the wonderful people giving of their time and energy (and possibly their FUTURE HEALTH).

I suggest if you need to go, absolutely minimize those in the car with you.

Bring a book, or TWO. Bring a cooler with water. Expect to wait. Be grateful.

I expect a rise in coronavirus presumptive confirmed cases as a result of more testing. The good thing is we can isolate the infected once we identify them.

3. Maui Stay-At-Home Order, Effective March 25 to April 30

This was just announced.

MAUI STAY AT HOME ORDER STARTS WEDNESDAY, MARCH 25: Mayor Michael Victorino announced an update to Public Health Emergency Rules ordering those in Maui County to stay at home and work from home, effective at 12:01 a.m. on Wednesday, March 25, 2020. This order will be in effect until April 30.

Details here:

4. Possible Shortage of PPE (Personal Protective Equipment)

To let you know how important PPE is – I was talking to my brother in the Philippines yesterday and he informed me that two doctors frm=om the Philippines died due to coronavirus infection, It was possible that they were infected due to lack of PPE

The link below is a call for help:

Venie Bags Creator Started a Go Fund Me to Help: https://bit.ly/2vJ1xEx

Maui Residents Doing the best they Can to Assist https://www.facebook.com/robin.ferrier.12/posts/10157914295076826

And found one more Maui fundraising here: https://www.gofundme.com/f/maui-face-mask-manufacture?utm_source=customer&utm_medium=copy_link-tip&utm_campaign=p_cp+share-sheet

5. Meals For The Keiki of Maui

The Department of Education is offering breakfast and lunch to children who are 18 years old and younger. The grab-and-go service will be available during the extended school closures on Monday through Friday from 7:30am to 8am for breakfast, and Monday through Friday from 11:30am to 12pm for lunch. Maui schools sites for grab-and-go meals are at Hana High & Elementary, Kahului Elementary, Kalama Intermediate, Lahaina Intermediate, Lanai High School, and Molokai High.

6. Comprehensive List of Restaurants Doing Take-out.

Mahalo to MauiTime for starting this Database of the Restaurants on Maui Open for take-out. Here is the link to it:

7. Facebook Group Started

This new Facebook Group called “Maui Novel Coronavirus Facts”‘s about page says: In an attempt to keep the disinformation and misinformation surrounding the new Coronavirus down this group was created for the Maui community to share relevant FACTS to help keep ourselves safe. Other local community pages have been removing informative posts about the new Coronavirus so we wanted to create a censor-free space to help us all stay up to date and in communications with one another as this serious situation continues to unfold. *Science and reason rule here*

I hesitated to add this resource here as we all know that as much as the admin would want to control the group and limit the posting to facts only, by nature Facebook is full of opinions. I was invited to join but I declined. Their posts are public so you can actually see the posts even if you are not a member, you just can’t post.  That is fine with me for now as I already am busy managing my Visit Live Love Maui Group.  Here us the link to the group if you are interested.  Three are some helpful announcements there, but there are also opinions, so take what you read with a grain of salt.

https://www.facebook.com/groups/MauiNovelCoronavirusFACTS/

9. Designated Shopping Hours for the 60 and older

This is another info I hesitated to include because, in my opinion, the 60 and older should not even get out of their homes. However, if they really must, here are the hours set for them:

Foodland will set aside the first hour of business at stores statewide on Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday to serve only those 60 and older and their caretakers. The program will start March 19 and continue through March 31.
Safeway stores will open from 6:00-9:00AM on Tuesdays/Thursday mornings for seniors.
Tamura’s Market will open Monday, Wednesday, and Friday from 7:15 – 8:00AM through March 30 for seniors (age 60 and older) and an accompanying family member or caregiver.
Target will reserve the first hour of shopping on Wednesdays for senior citizens and those at high risk from 7:00-8:00AM.
Times Supermarkets will reserve the first hour of its store opening every day for seniors and people with serious chronic medical conditions. The change will go into effect March 20 until further notice.
Walmart will reserve from 6:00-7:00AM on Tuesday mornings for seniors starting March 24 – April 28.
Whole Foods Market stores will open daily for seniors 60+ at 7:00AM
Costco will open early from 8:00 to 9:00AM on Tuesdays and Thursdays, for disabled persons and seniors age 60+ only (no kids or caregivers)

We are dealing with an emerging, rapidly evolving situation, not only here on our island, but all over the world.  Here is a list of websites where you can get the current reliable updates:

• Center for Disease Control and Prevention: https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/index.html
• Hawaii Department of Health: https://hawaiicovid19.com/
• Maui Now: https://mauinow.com/category/coronavirus/
• Hawaii News Now: https://www.hawaiinewsnow.com/news/wuhan-coronavirus-outbreak/
• Maui County Website: https://www.mauicounty.gov/2370/COVID-19-Coronavirus-Information

Thoughts from a Maui physician in outpatient medicine 3/20/2020.

(This is my personal thinking and not meant to be taken as medical advice. Please call your provider if needed.)
In this age of Facebook, we don’t have a failure in government, but a failure in communication.

I strongly believe the serious restraints we are putting on our lives are having a very strong impact on the spread of this virus. The day after China put strict measures in place in Wuhan, they saw a dramatic drop in NEW CASES (not new diagnoses). New diagnoses continued their strong upward trajectory. But later in retrospect, they could tell that the RATE of new cases immediately slowed down. Our cases will continue in an upward logarithmic curve over the next days and weeks as our testing capacity ramps up.

If you are sick at all (cough, sore throat, breathing issues, OR fever), ASSUME you have Covid-19. This is critical! Do not physically interact with people at all!

Testing is not super reliable. I’ve heard the sensitivity of testing ranged from 70-88%. This means if 100 people have the disease and are tested, up to 30 will test negative! This likely would give them FALSE security and let them roam around infecting others. For those of you begging to be tested, a negative test is only somewhat reassuring, and should NOT be enough for you to expose other people to infectious particles. Stay home if you are sick and have a negative test!!

If you are sick and you must have medical attention, try to get a PHONE CALL or telemedicine appointment with your provider rather than a face-to-face visit.

I assume this virus is wide-spread in our community right now. Data out of China suggests “mild cases” are 40%. This means moderate to severe cases represent 60% (40 +20)!! For those who think there are a lot of asymptomatic people out there, data out of China disputes this. Only in the first few days do people seem asymptomatic. Moderate disease in China meant viral pneumonia! Trust me, a few months ago I would have considered that severe.

Finally, if you are stuck at home, please take this opportunity to start daily walks. Walking really is “the super-food” of exercise. I find the important aspect of exercise is that it is scheduled, and that it is started. You don’t need to go a long distance.  (Liza’s note: with the recent “stay at home” proclamation, we might have to just exercise at home. I will get back on this  and will more info)

And I miss kissing my wife.

MAHALO MAUI LOVERS for reading and sharing this.  A hui hou!

Much Aloha,

Liza