Almost 2 in 3 adults in U.S. Hawaii suffer negative effect of COVID-19

LOS ANGELES, June 20 (Xinhua) -- Almost 2 in 3 adults in U.S. state of Hawaii reported negative effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on mental health, food security, job security, housing and poverty, said a new report from the University of Hawaii.

According to the "Health Effects and Views of COVID-19 in Hawaii" report released by the University of Hawaii Economic Research Organization (UHERO) on Monday, the pandemic has had significant adverse impacts across multiple dimensions in the only island U.S. state beyond the direct effects of the disease itself.

Around 22.9 percent of respondents reported having their savings depleted, 17.8 percent had trouble with the education of their children, 14.7 percent were unable to pay bills, and 12.5 percent were furloughed or reduced their working hours, said the report,

In addition, the report stated that 12.4 percent of respondents had a close friend who died and 9.2 percent had a family member who died.

The report pointed out that over 93.3 percent of respondents were vaccinated, while 6.7 percent remain unvaccinated. Approximately 24.8 percent of respondents reported a confirmed COVID-19 positive test result. Of the respondents who tested positive, 31.5 percent reported having lingering long-term effects following acute infection.

"Although COVID-19 had severe effects on everyone, individuals who tested positive for COVID-19 experienced larger negative effects than those who did not test positive," said researchers in the report.

Survey responses for the report were collected among more than 2,000 Hawaii adults in May 2022 and obtained in partnership with the Pacific Alliance Against COVID-19.