Pulmonary condition linked to snorkeling deaths
HONOLULU — A rise in drowning deaths or near drownings during Hawaii snorkeling excursions was linked to a pulmonary condition that was not previously associated with snorkeling.
The state Department of Health said a specific form of hypoxia, or asphyxiation, known as rapid onset pulmonary edema was implicated in 206 Hawaii drownings from 2009-18.
An “alarming” increase in drownings, many of them considered mysteries, included 189 island visitors who were struck by rapid onset pulmonary edema, officials said.
“Resistance to inhalation sets off this negative pressure in your lungs, and then your bodily fluids start to intrude into this really delicate mechanism,” said Dr. Philip Foti, an Oahu pulmonologist. “Your lungs start to fill up with fluid and very quickly there’s no oxygen going into your blood stream.”
A two-year “Snorkel Safety Study” ordered by the Health Department in 2017 and released in interim form last week found “hypoxia induced by (rapid onset pulmonary edema) is the cause of some, probably most, snorkel related fatal and near fatal drownings.”
Investigators studied equipment data collected by Honolulu Ocean Safety, including tests on 49 snorkel varieties.
Foti, the study’s lead investigator, determined equipment with high air-flow resistance resulting in difficulty inhaling might lead to the rapid edema condition.
Late shipments force Maui virus vaccination delay
HONOLULU — More than 6,000 appointments for Maui residents waiting to receive doses of the coronavirus vaccine have been postponed by state delivery delays that will cause a temporary service disruption at the island’s sole community vaccine clinic.
Maui Health, which oversees Maui Memorial Medical Center’s vaccination clinic, announced Saturday it would be unable to provide doses of Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine that were scheduled to be administered beginning Sunday and lasting through Feb. 7.
Maui Health CEO Michael Rembis said the clinic would delay between 300 and 400 slots daily during the next three weeks after the state notified the company Friday it would not receive expected shipments during the weekend and throughout this week.
The company said in a statement that the state holdup was intended “to ensure that we have enough vaccine to provide the second dose to those who will require them over the next few weeks.”
The state Department of Health said Maui Health’s clinic should receive nearly 2,000 doses this week.
The Maui clinic will not take new appointments and will only administer second doses beginning Monday.
“We were really gearing up to vaccinate as many people as possible on Maui as quickly as possible, and the fact that we’ve seen a decrease in the availability is a huge disappointment for our community,” Rembis said.
Those affected by the postponement were notified by email and placed on a priority list to receive the Pfizer vaccine when the clinic can secure a sufficient supply, Maui Health said.
Those people will receive a link to a private booking portal to reschedule appointments, the company said.
