COVID-19 7-day average is all-time high

LIHU‘E — Kaua‘i currently has a seven-day case average of 230 a day, which officials are reporting as an all-time high.

“Here at home, our COVID case count continues to rise,” Mayor Derek Kawakami said Tuesday.

Yesterday, the state Department of Health Kaua‘i District Health Office reported 283 new cases, bringing the number of active, recorded cases to 771, with six hospitalized. According to the Hawai‘i Emergency Management Agency, one of the hospitalized is in the intensive-care unit.

With this continued surge in cases, the community has had to adjust, with at least one school shifting to an online learning model.

“Our team is working to keep students learning in-person as much as possible,” state Department of Education Kaua‘i Complex Area Superintendent Paul Zina said Tuesday. “We know that learning in the classroom is best for students, and we’re working to keep class settings safe and open as much as possible through this omicron surge.”

Last week, the complex area said that school closures will be on a class-by-class, school-by-school basis when shifting to distance-learning models.

“The goal is to keep as many students in the classroom as many days as possible, while being prepared to shift to distance learning on short notice when it is necessary,” Zina said. “Only when all resources are exhausted, distance learning will be used until the students can return.”

And while free testing at the county’s Kaua‘i War Memorial Convention Hall in Lihu‘e has been inundated, demand has slowed down, Kawakami said.

“Demand for testing was high last week, but based on the past couple of days, demand seems to be slowly decreasing,” Kawakami said. “However, the convention hall ticketing system will remain in place until further notice, to help avoid any long lines and crowding.”

KDHO notification of close contacts has become limited.

“We are no longer able to identify and call close contacts,” DOH KHDO Health Officer Dr. Janet Berreman said Tuesday. “Instead, we are asking those who test positive to notify their close contacts. If you are a close contact of someone with COVID-19, you should quarantine at home for five days after your last contact with that person. And, if you can, get tested on that fifth day.”

The convention hall testing center is limited to 500 tests per day, and the free mobile testing van is limited to 100 tests per day. Free testing is also available islandwide.

For a full list of testing sites and more details, visit kauai.gov/covidtest.

The Kaua‘i Hospital Mobile Vaccine van will hold a walk-in clinic on Thursday at the Kapa‘a Neighborhood Center from 1 to 5 p.m. Both the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines for those ages 12 and older for first and second doses, third doses and booster doses will all be offered at no cost.

Saturday, Ho‘ola Lahui Hawai‘i will host community clinics at their health centers in Waimea and Kapa‘a, from 9 to 11 a.m. These clinics are open to ages 5 and up, and walk-ins are welcome.

For a full list of locations for children and adults, visit kauai.gov/vaccine.
Source: The Garden Island