THE STATE'S LOW NUMBERS COMPARED
TO THE MAINLAND.
BUT HAWAII IS AMONG THE NATION'S
WORST PLACES FOR RACIAL
DISPARITIES AMONG COVID VICTIMS.
GINA MANGIERI IS ALWAYS
INVESTIGATING AND HAS DETAILS.
GINA:
I LOOKED AT COVID RATES BY RACE
NATIONWIDE, AND FOUND THE VIRUS
IS ATTACKING THE PACIFIC
ISLANDER COMMUNITY IN HAWAIIO
AN EXTENT UNSEEN JUST ABOUT
ANYWHERE ELSE IN
AMERICA BY OTHER MINORITY
GROUPS.
MOST STATES TRACK INCIDENTS OF
COVID BY A NUMBER OF
DEMOGRAPHICS INCLUDING AGE, AREA
OF RESIDENCE, AND RACE.
IN HAWAII THE PERCENT POSITIVE
FOR MOST RACIAL GROUPS IS ABOUT
THE SAME AS THEIR PERCENT OF
POPULATION,
BUT PACIFIC ISLANDERS SHOW A
STARK DISPARITY -- AMONG
AMERICA'S MOST EXTREME -- AT
ONLY 4 PERCENT OF HAWAII'S
POPULATION, THEY ACCOUNT FOR 25
PERCENT OF THE STATE'S COVID
CASES.
FROM WHAT WE'RE SEEING IT'S VERY
SIMILAR TO WHAT OTHER
JURISDICTIONS ARE SEEING ON THE
MAINLAND IN THEIR HISPANIC
POPULATION OR THEIR AFRICAN
AMERICAN POPULATION, IT'S JUST
THAT FOR US IN HAWAII THE
PACIFIC ISLAND POPULATION IS
THAT
POPULATION THAT EXPERIENCES A
JUST ABOUT ANYWHERE IN THE
COUNTRY
A KHON2 LOOK AT STATE BY STATE
RACIAL DATA FOUND HAWAII'S GAP
FOR PACIFIC ISLANDERS IS BEHIND
ONLY NATIVE AMERICANS IN NEW
MEXICO, WHERE THAT GROUP MAKES
UP 9 PERCENT STATE RESIDENTS BUT
54 PERCENT OF THE COVID CASES,
AND AFRICAN
AMERICANS IN MAINE AND MISSOURI.
IT'S SIMILAR TO WHAT UNIVERSITY
OF HAWAII RESEARCHERS FOUND
EARLIER IN THE PANDEMIC TOO, AS
THEY TRACKED NATIVE HAWAIIAN AND
PACIFIC ISLANDER POPULATIONS
ACROSS THE COUNTRY
SHOULD WE GET THIS DISEASE FOR
EXAMPLE, OUR NHPI HAVE HIGHER
RATES OF ASTHMA, DIABETES, HEART
DISEASE AND HAVE MULTIPLE
CHRONIC MEDICAL CONDITIONS SO
SHOULD THEY GET THIS THEY'RE
MORE LIKELY TO GET SEVERE
SYMPTOMS, HOSPITALIZED AND
EVEN DEATH.
NATIVE AND PACIFIC ISLANDER
POPULATION SO MUCH? IN PART,
MANY HAVE BEEN ON THE FRONT
LINES FROM DAY 1 OF THE PANDEMIC
WHILE MUCH OF THE OTHER
WORKFORCE WENT HOME OR WORKED
FROM HOME.
00:12:27:52 A LOT OF THE
MICRONESIANS ARE OUT THERE, 7-
11, THEY'RE OUT THERE AT THE
FAST FOOD RESTAURANTS, THEY'RE
OUT
THERE AT THE NURSING HOMES
00:12:43:00 WE'VE JUST GOT TO
RECOGNIZE WE'RE PART OF THIS
COMMUNITY
UH ESTIMATES ABOUT 30 TO 35
PERCENT OF THE ESSENTIAL
ARE NATIVE HAWAIIAN OR
PACIFIC ISLANDERS
KK 4:03 SO THAT MEANS THEY'RE
BEING EXPOSED TO OTHERS BUT
THEY'RE ALSO GOING TO HOME TO
LARGER HOUSEHOLDS PERHAPS WHERE
THERE ARE MULTIPLE PEOPLE IN THE
HOUSEHOLD WHO ARE ESSENTIAL
WORKERS 4:10
THE HEALTH DEPARTMENT AGREES
CONGESTED HOME SETTINGS ARE
CONTRIBUTING TO THE SPREAD, AND
BOTH THE PROFESSOR AND HEALTH
DEPARTMENT SAY QUARANTINE AN
ISOLATION ALTERNATIVES ARE
NEEDED.
JH 00:05:40 MAYBE YOU KNOW HOW
THEY HAVE THE HOTELS FOR FAMILY
MEMBERS THAT CANNOT BE
QUARANTINED AT HOME, MAYBE
HAVE THIS MORE AVAILABLE. REALLY
THINK OF THIS THAT WE MAY NEED
THAT IN THE NEXT 6 MONTHS OUT
THE NONPROFIT "WE ARE OCEANIA"
HAS BEEN WORKING DIRECTLY WITH
THE MICRONESIAN AND OTHER
PACIFIC ISLANDER COMMUNITIES ON
CULTURAL ADAPTATIONS AND TO
REINFORCE MASK WEARING, HAND
WASHING, SOCIAL DISTANCING AND
PUTTING OFF GATHERINGS WHENEVER
POSSIBLE
WAYS THE VIRUS WAS SPREADING WAS
THROUGH FUNERAL SERVICES AND
THROUGH CHURCH GATHERING AT
HOMES SO WE TRIED TO CREATE
MESSAGING THAT WOULD BE
CULTURALLY SENSITIVE AND ALSO
THAT IT'S NOT OFFENDING A FAMILY
MEMBER BECAUSE THOSE --
ESPECIALLY WHEN IT COMES TO
FUNERALS -- THOSE ARE VERY
IMPORTANT PART OF WHO WE ARE
UH AND OTHERS HAVE FORMED THE
NATIVE HAWAIIAN PACIFIC ISLANDER
COVID 19 RESPONSE RECOVERY AND
RESILIENCE TEAM AIMING TO TURN
BUILD COMMUNITY AT THE SAME TIME
JH THIS IS GIVING ME HOPE THAT
THIS PANDEMIC MAY SHINE LIGHT TO
OUR DISPARITIES HOWEVER IT ALSO
SHINES LIGHTS TO OUR STRENGTHS
AND OUR ASSETS IN OUR COMMUNITY
AND THE HELPING HANDS AND THE
BEAUTIFUL CULTURE
GINA:
THE UH MEDICAL SCHOOL PROFESSOR
TELLS ME ACCESS TO TESTING AND
HEALTH CARE REGARDLESS
OF INSURANCE COULD HELP TO
COMBAT THE COVID DISPARITY, PLUS
THE HOUSING ALTERNATIVES
AND FOOD SECURITY. WE'LL FOLLOW
UP TO WATCH FOR PROGRESS. GINA
MANGIERI, KHON2 NEWS, ALWAYS
INVESTIGATING.
JOE: