(BIVN) – There were 831 newly reported cases of COVID-19 in the State of Hawaiʻi on Thursday, up from the 625 cases identified on Wednesday. There were 176 new cases identified today on Hawaiʻi island, up from 100 reported the day before.

According to the Hawaiʻi Emergency Management Agency, there were sixty-nine (69) persons hospitalized today on the Big Island. Hilo Medical Center posted this update on Facebook on Thursday afternoon:

On Wednesday, we hit an all-time high of 36 COVID patients in our hospital. After downgrading a patient to “post-COVID” or “non-contagious long hauler” and discharging others, we are at 32 COVID patients today with 6 in the ICU/5 on vents, and 26 in the COVID Unit. We continue to care for 4 post-COVID patients. Our staff is feeling the strain and stress of this delta surge. Fortunately, we are pulling together and we carrying out our plan to manage this surge. Elective surgeries have been cancelled through Friday. We continue to closely assess hospital capacity to restart elective procedures. We are opening a 16-bed Medical Unit Overflow in the Extended Care Facility on Friday. Our COVID Unit has been expanded to 34 beds. Our dedicated staff has been working tirelessly to care for our community. Mahalo to all who have gotten vaccinated. We’re starting to see an increase in COVID vaccinations rates. Please consider getting the vaccination if you haven’t gotten it yet.

Health officials are currently monitoring 1,754 active cases on Hawaiʻi island. The test positivity rate on the Big Island over the last 14 days increased to 8.6%, and there has been a 14-day average of 132 new cases per day.

On the Health Department’s zip code area map showing reported COVID-19 cases with onset dates in the past 14 days, there are now sixteen (16) zip code areas on the Big Island showing over 10 cases. Eight (8) of those zip code areas are showing over 50 cases, with two areas (Kona and Hilo) identifying over 400 new cases in 14 days.

• 96720 (Hilo) – 506 cases
• 96740 (Kona) – 400 cases
• 96743 (Kohala) – 107 cases
• 96738 (S. Kohala) – 74 cases
• 96755 (N. Kohala) – 25 cases
• 96727 (Hāmākua) – 45 cases
• 96773* (N. Hilo) – 12 cases
• 96783 (Pepeʻekeo) – 21 cases
• 96749 (Puna) – 156 cases
• 96760 (Puna) – 26 cases
• 96771 (Puna mauka) – 54 cases
• 96778 (Puna makai) – 77 cases
• 96725 (Kona) – 50 cases
• 96750 (Kona) – 49 cases
• 96704* (South Kona) – 74 cases
• 96737 (Ocean View) – 11 cases

* The 96773 zip code area includes zip code areas 96710, 96774, 96728, 96764, and 96780. The 96704 zip code area includes zip code areas 96726.

Queen’s North Hawaii Community Hospital is holding a free testing and vaccination clinic at the Kona Aquatic Center on September 2 and September 9 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. HST.

To date, the State of Hawaiʻi says 1,840,977 cumulative doses of COVID-19 vaccine have been administered. Health officials say 62.3% percent of the State population has been fully vaccinated. 70.7% of the population has initiated vaccination. On Hawaiʻi island, 59% has completed vaccination.