COVID-19 AT A GLANCE
Latest developments:
■ State Department of Health on Friday reported 44 new cases statewide as of 11:59 p.m. Wednesday, including 24 on Oahu, 15 on Maui, two on Hawaii island, one on Kauai and two residents diagnosed out of state.
■ There have now been 27,399 cases statewide, including 21,892 on Oahu, 2,237 on Hawaii island, 2,256 in Maui County (2,121 on Maui, 108 on Lanai and 27 on Molokai) and 183 on Kauai. A total of 831 residents have been diagnosed out of state. As a result of updated information, one case on Oahu was recategorized to Hawaii island. Two cases on Oahu and one case on Hawaii island were removed from the counts.
■ Two new deaths were reported Friday, one each on Oahu and Maui. Both were men in their 60s who were hospitalized and had underlying conditions. There have now been 437 fatalities statewide, including 347 on Oahu, 53 on Hawaii island, 33 on Maui, one on Kauai and three residents who died out of state.
■ Maui Community Correctional Center on Friday reported 19 new positive cases and 64 negative results out of 83 inmate tests. There are now 34 active cases at the jail; 11 inmates have recovered.
■ DOH said the B 1.429 variant, the dominant strain in California, may be to blame for the uptick in cases on Maui.
■ As of Friday, 10 percent of the total population in Maui County had received at least one dose of the vaccine. The county still trailed Kauai (18.9 percent), Oahu (15 percent) and Hawaii island (13.5 percent).
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention COVID-19 tips:
■ Fever and cough are symptoms.
■ Most people have mild illness and are able to recover at home. If you think you may have been exposed to COVID-19, contact your health care provider immediately.
■ Keep track of symptoms.
■ If you have an emergency warning sign (including trouble breathing), get medical attention right away.
■ Some people who are not showing symptoms could have the illness.
Methods for preventing illness include:
■ Washing hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds, especially after going to the bathroom, before eating and after nose-blowing, coughing or sneezing.
■ If soap and water are not readily available, use a hand sanitizer with at least 60 percent alcohol.
■ Avoiding touching eyes, nose and mouth with unwashed hands.
■ Avoid contact with people who are sick; stay home if sick.
■ Wear a face mask in public settings. The mask is intended to protect others.
■ Social distancing: Stay 6 feet apart from others.
■ Clean and disinfect frequently touched surfaces daily. This includes tables, doorknobs, light switches, countertops, handles, desks, phones, keyboards, toilets, faucets and sinks.
For more information:
■ Call 211 or text (877) 275-6569 for general questions about coronavirus.
■ Hawaii Health Department: hawaiicovid19.com.
■ CDC: Coronavirus.gov.
To report violations of quarantine orders to the Maui Police Department:
■ Email mpdquarantine@mpd.net.
WAILUKU — Saying a defendant poses an “extreme danger to the community,” a deputy prosecutor asked Friday for bail to be increased to $2 million for a man charged with attempted murder for allegedly driving toward a police officer in Wailuku.
Kaipo Lapenia-Lau, 25, of Kahului was arrested Tuesday morning after a police pursuit that ended at a residence off Kahekili Highway in Waihee.
Lapenia-Lau appeared by videoconference from the courthouse cellblock for his initial appearance Friday in Wailuku District Court.
He is charged with first-degree attempted murder, firstdegree attempted assault on a law enforcement officer, two counts of first-degree resisting an order to stop a motor vehicle and first-degree assault on a law enforcement officer.
Police were looking for Lapenia-Lau after he sped away from a traffic stop at 12:32 a.m. Tuesday in Wailuku, dragging an officer 3 to 4 feet, police said.
When officers approached his stopped vehicle at 9:05 a.m. Tuesday near Mill Street in Wailuku, Lapenia-Lau accelerated toward an officer, police said. That officer and another officer at the scene fired their police guns at the vehicle, police said.
Lapenia-Lau wasn’t struck by the shots, police said.
Police set bail for LapeniaLau at $1.75 million, said Deputy Prosecutor Byron Fujieda.
In court Friday, Fujieda said the alleged facts and charges “indicate an extreme danger to the community, as well as an extreme flight risk.”
The charges reflect that Lapenia-Lau was “putting officers in harm’s way while trying to escape” and almost ran over an officer, causing the officer to fire shots, Fujieda said.
The prosecution asked to increase bail to $2 million based on an additional charge of attempted first-degree assault on a law enforcement officer, Fujieda said.
“We believe it is fair and appropriate to have bail set at that high amount,” Fujieda said. “We have no confidence that, if released on supervised release, he will return to court.”
Deputy Public Defender Gustavo Gonzalez said the defense was “vehemently opposed” to the request to increase bail.
He said Lapenia-Lau wanted to be released on supervision.
His criminal history includes convictions for open container, failure to appear and contempt of court, as well as traffic matters, Gonzalez said.
“He has been working full time in a union job for nine years under the direct supervision of his father,” Gonzalez said. “We do not believe he is a flight risk.”
Fujieda said the concern about flight risk was based on the attempted first-degree murder charge. A conviction on that charge carries a penalty of life in prison without the possibility of parole.
In keeping bail at $1.75 million, Judge Kirstin Hamman said that, based on the charges and Lapenia-Lau’s record, “the court does feel that the current bail amount is appropriate.”
Lapenia-Lau was being held at the Maui Community Correctional Center.
If he posts bail and is released, he was ordered not to consume alcohol or illegal drugs and to report for supervision and random testing.