KAHULUI — The Hawai‘i Department of Health (DOH) has issued guidance to a Maui church and its congregation because of the imminent health threat posed by a large cluster of COVID-19 cases associated with the church and identified on March 7.
The cluster has doubled in the past ten-days and now totals 50 COVID-19 cases.
King’s Cathedral in Kahului is encouraged to cancel all upcoming in-person events and conduct only virtual services until the cluster is contained.
People who attended events hosted by King’s Cathedral and Chapels in the past 14 days are encouraged to get tested for COVID-19. They should closely monitor themselves for symptoms including fever, cough, runny nose, sore throat or loss of taste or smell. If symptoms develop, they are advised to self-quarantine and seek medical consultation.
COVID cases associated with King’s Cathedral were identified as a cluster on March 7.
DOH first met with church representatives to recommend containment measures including isolation, quarantine, and advising a switch to virtual services and other prevention measures on March 10. However, further transmission was subsequently detected related to ongoing in-person services, a youth conference, and other gatherings.
Those infected range in age from 10 to 77. COVID-19 transmission has spread from the church to a school and a workplace. DOH is concerned more “spillover” cases will threaten the greater community and not just those affiliated with King’s Cathedral.
“DOH does not disclose specific cluster locations unless there is an imminent risk to public health,” said Acting State Epidemiologist Dr. Sarah Kemble. “Based on the findings of our investigative team, we believe disclosure is warranted to prevent further transmission of the disease.”
Statewide case counts and case counts on Maui have risen in the past week. It is critically important people wear masks, maintain physical distance, avoid crowds, and wash hands regularly. Anyone who feels sick or believes they are coming down with a cold should not go to work or school.
DOH is also asking the district health offices on each of the neighbor islands to expand vaccine eligibility as needed to ensure all available vaccination slots are filled.
Every island has its own unique characteristics including population, population density, healthcare resources and enthusiasm for COVID-19 vaccine. With more vaccine coming into Hawai‘i this week than any previous week, DOH Director Dr. Elizabeth Char said in a recent DOH news release that the time is right to give the neighbor islands “more say” in how they administer vaccinations.
“The state is getting more than 81,000 vaccine doses this week and the federal government is distributing thousands more to Longs Drugs and Safeway,” Char said. “The combined allocation to Hawai‘i this week tops 120,000 doses. We want those doses in the correct arms as quickly as possible and believe the neighbor islands are situated to get that done.”
The DOH will coordinate the designation of who is eligible in each county and continue to determine vaccine eligibility on O‘ahu.
Vaccine eligibility on O‘ahu will expand Monday, April 5th to include essential workers in construction, banking and finance, communications, media, retail, information technology, clergy, and transportation and logistics.
On Kaua‘i, most residents age 16 and older are now eligible for vaccine appointments.
Wednesday, the Kaua‘i district health office announced two new cases of COVID-19, bringing the number of active cases to three, with 226 cumulative cases. Kaua‘i’s cumulative case count includes 192 confirmed locally, two probable, and 32 positive cases diagnosed elsewhere, as they received their pre-travel test results after arriving on island.
The two newest cases are male and female residents whose source of infection is related to inter-island travel. Close contacts are being identified, directed to quarantine, and offered testing.
Apparently some churches as well as others refuse to follow the safe practice suggestions of the health authorities, nation, state and local.
They say that it violates their Religious Freedom or for some it is their constitutional right to not follow the safety measures and infect others.
What it violates is respect and concern for others, and pass on Covid 19 and keep the pandemic spreading.
We all should be working as a team to slow, and stop this Covid pandemic. Not only is it the responsibility of the churches but their congregations as well to follow the suggestions and warnings by health professionals.
This relates to everyone, all of us. Not just the church in this article.
You are responsible for your own health not anyone else. You can’t force “recommendations” on anyone. It is your own kuleana.
Do unto others,,,,
It would be interesting to know how many, if any, parishioners had been vaccinated prior to their contracting Covid 19? We need statistics on how effective these vaccines are in actually preventing the disease. Outbreaks like these could give us answers.