LIHU‘E — The state Department of Health Kaua‘i District Health Office announced 16 new cases on Sunday, all residents. Two are chldren and 14 are adults.
All 16 cases are considered community-acquired. Eight of the community-acquired infections are close contacts of previously announced cases or are tied to an active cluster. The remaining eight community-acquired cases have no known source of infection, including three whom investigators have been unable to reach after repeated attempts or who have refused to provide information.
Active cases are directed to isolate, and close contacts are being identified, offered testing and directed to quarantine. Investigations are ongoing.
Sunday’s cases bring the number of active cases to 246, with three hospitalized, and 2,095 cumulative cases.
Following are links to home-isolation/quarantine guidelines from the DOH:
• hawaiicovid19.com/testing-isolation-quarantine/;
• hawaiicovid19.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/Summary-Guidance-for-COVID-19-Cases-and-Contacts.pdf;
• health.hawaii.gov/coronavirusdisease2019/files/2020/04/What-To-Do-If-You-Have-Been-Tested-For-COVID19_040120.pdf.
According to the DOH, vaccination remains the most-important action anyone can take to slow and prevent the spread of disease in the community. Vaccinations are widely available to anyone 12 years of age or older and are free, safe and effective, the DOH stated.
Many vaccination sites accept walk-ins. Residents aged 18 and older are eligible for any vaccine available at pharmacy, hospital and clinic locations. The Pfizer vaccine has been authorized for use in those 12 years of age and older, available at Wilcox Medical Center, Lihu‘e Longs, Puhi Safeway, Kaiser Permanente Lihu‘e Clinic, and Ho‘ola Lahui Hawai‘i clinics in Waimea and Kapa‘a.
The vaccine van can be requested to come to a business, event or home by filling out the survey at surveymonkey.com/r/CBQCWY7 or calling the Kaua‘i District Health Office at 808-241-3495.
Free testing is available at the Kaua‘i War Memorial Convention Hall, weekdays from 8 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. on a first-come, first-served basis. To avoid long wait times, staff will distribute a limited number of tickets with a specific time to return for the free test.
A free mobile-testing van is available for walk-ins from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at several locations around the island Wednesday through Sunday. Free drive-thru testing is also available daily at Lihu‘e Pharmacy Group, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Appointments are highly recommended, but walk-ins are welcome. For an appointment, register online at PreventCOVIDHI.com or call 808-635-4968.
Testing is also available through primary-care physicians, hospitals and urgent-care clinics. For more details, visit kauai.gov/covidtest.
For more information on the county’s COVID-19 response, visit kauai.gov/COVID-19.
