The state’s transmission rate for COVID-19 is going down.

The Hawaii COVID Collaborative, a hui of people from private industry, nonprofit organizations, and government entities, says the transmission rate is now around .8%.   The transmission rate indicates the average number of people contracting the virus from a single positive person.

According to Dr. Mark Mugiishi, CEO of HMSA, the state’s largest insurer, has said that any number greater than 1 is not good.  Anything below 1 means that the virus is not being widely transmitted.  In the most recent meeting of the State House Select Committee on COVID-19, Mugiishi said that if the number is 1, that means an infected person will spread it to 1 person.  In August, the state’s number was around 1.4, the highest in the country.  As of Sept. 19, with the rate at .78, Statista.com reports that Hawaii’s rate is now the lowest in the nation, with 20 other states having a rate below 1.

There is more information at covidpau.org