Two new COVID-19-related deaths were reported in Hawaii County this week by the state Department of Health.
One death was a male between the ages of 0-17 who was hospitalized. The DOH did not report whether or not the individual had an underlying condition.
So far, there have only been five deaths within this age group in Hawaii since the pandemic began.
A second death was a man between the ages of 50-59 who also was hospitalized. The DOH reported this individual had an underlying condition.
These are the first deaths for Hawaii County reported since Oct. 30.
The latest variant report from the DOH confirms BA.5 is still the dominant strain throughout the county, accounting for 76% of total cases.
Additional omicron subvariants are starting to increase, as well. BA 5.2.6, known for its highly antibody-evading mutation, accounts for 9% of total cases in the county, a jump from just 4% listed in the prior variant report from October.
Omicron subvariants BQ.1 and BQ 1.1 also rose, with each accounting for 6% of total cases throughout the county.
Roughly 25,120 bivalent boosters have been administered countywide, while 71,710 boosters have been administered over the last 12 month-period.