Green: Unvaccinated are to blame if new, strict rules needed to curb hospitalizations

HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) - Hospitals are dangerously full, according to state officials, limiting care for not just COVID patients, but others seeking emergency help.

The limited space in Hawaii hospitals could lead to new, even stricter rules in just a matter of weeks.

“I say we are two to four weeks at this rate from seeing major adjustments in what we’re able to do,” Lt. Gov. Josh Green said.

Sunday morning, Green said 300 people were hospitalized with COVID-19. Of those, more than 270 are unvaccinated.

“It’s a small minority that is otherwise condemning society to a lockdown and potentially large-scale death,” Green said. “No one wants to close down businesses, no one wants to put in curfews, no one wants to curtail regular life or schools — but we have to keep people alive.”

Green added that as of Sunday, 58 of 68 ICU beds at Queen’s were filled. At the Hilo Medical Center, the hospital reports all 11 ICU beds are taken. Six of which are of which are COVID patients. There are 12 more patients in the hospital’s COVID unit.

This means for non-COVID and trauma patients, emergency care might not be available when they need it.

“The loudest most oppositional defiant people that think it’s fun, they think it’s like a party — number one: I’m probably going to be taking care of them in the hospital with my colleagues because they’re going to catch COVID and go into the ICU. And I will do it honorably,” Green said. “And I want to take care of everyone, but those very individuals are condemning everyone in society to a much larger lockdown.”

Meanwihle, the Lt. Governor had a stark message for the demonstrators who gathered outside of his Honolulu condo this past week, making their opposition known.

“Honestly if they want to protest, they should be protesting me at my Lt. Gov. office, and not the individuals who have children in my condominium. I mean that is, of course, callous and heartless to do that to innocent individuals,” he said.

Green has made his position clear on widespread vaccine mandates. He believes people have the right to choose and no one should force them to get the shot. But he thinks weekly testing and mask wearing is the bare minimum that people can do.

“If you wanna come for me, come for me guys. And I will have a dignified discussion about what’s safe for society,” he added.

“I don’t care if people protest me. I don’t begrudge anybody’s freedom of speech. But when people behave like a mob and actually are bullying and threatening, they’re intentionally trying to make it more difficult for science to carry the day ... they’re not making it any better on themselves.”

Green says it’s too soon to see any impacts from the latest round of restrictions announced by Gov. Ige. But he predicts if we continue on the current trajectory, hospitalizations could soar to 400 in the near future.

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