LIHU‘E — With COVID-19 cases continuing a weeks-long decline, county officials used the Thursday briefing to inform the public on the spread of the monkeypox virus.
“Monkeypox is a rare, but serious, disease,” said Dr. Janet Berrreman in the weekly County of Kaua‘i briefing. “It is important to be aware of it, but the immediate risk of infection remains low.”
The state of Hawai’i has identified six cases of monkeypox so far, five of those are confirmed and the other is a probable case – all are associated with each other. No cases or close contacts have been identified on Kaua‘i. Nationwide there are 700 reported cases of Monkeypox as of July 7.
Most people diagnosed with monkeypox experience mild to moderate illness with itchy and painful rashes and sores.
Infection begins with flu-like symptoms such as fever, headache, muscle aches, chills, exhaustion, and swollen lymph nodes, then progresses to feature a rash or sores, often on the hands, feet, chest, face, or genitals. Individuals generally become ill within 21 days of exposure.
The Hawai‘i Department of Health announced Thursday that it received 357 doses of the JYNNEOS vaccine, which is used to prevent monkeypox from the Strategic National Stockpile.
These vaccines are not yet coming to Kaua‘i however.
“In phase one we’re targeting close contacts of people who have had monkeypox and all the reported cases are on O‘ahu right now,” said DOH Acting Communications Director Katie Arita-Chang. “We are absolutely ready if that changes to vaccinate on Kaua‘i and make sure that neighbor island residents have access to vaccines and treatments.”
The vaccines will only be available to close contacts of people known to have monkeypox, and for people who may have had high-risk exposures in venues or areas where monkeypox is actively spreading.
DOH expects to receive additional doses in the coming weeks. In the second phase of the distribution plan, broader vaccination of people who may be at risk of severe illness or future exposure will be considered.
Arita-Chang reported that she expected the second phase of monkeypox vaccines to be equitable for neighbor islands.
The federal government expects more than 1.6 million doses to be made available nationwide this year. DOH will announce when vaccine becomes more widely available.
“Getting vaccinated reduces the chance of getting monkeypox, and it may reduce symptoms if you do get it,” said Deputy State Epidemiologist Dr. Nathan Tan. “We will continue to work with the community to ensure that vaccines reach those most at risk for infection and severe disease and ensure that Hawai‘i’s allocation is distributed equitably.”
Monkeypox is mainly spread through close, intimate contact with body fluids, lesion material, or items used by someone with monkeypox as well as close, prolonged contact with an infected person or animal. Monkeypox may be spread through large respiratory droplets. These droplets generally cannot travel more than a few feet, so prolonged face-to-face contact is required. Anyone who has close contact with someone with monkeypox is at risk of infection, regardless of sexual orientation or gender identity.
Nationwide, the current cases are primarily spreading among social networks of gay, bisexual and other men who have sex with men, so this community is currently at greater risk of exposure. In Hawai‘i, at least some of the cases have been reported among gay or bisexual men.
Kaua‘i’s seven-day COVID-19 case average is now at 31 cases a day, down from 32 last week, the fourth consecutive week of declining cases.
Statewide, the average is 651 cases a day, down from 685 the week before. The actual numbers are higher because this data does not include home tests.
The island’s test positivity rate is 18.6%, down from 21% last week. The statewide rate is 15.1%.
Free COVID PCR testing is still available weekdays at the Kaua‘i War Memorial Convention Hall, from 8 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.
The mobile testing van is now on a weekday schedule. You can get a free test Mondays at the Hanalei Neighborhood Center, Tuesdays at the Bryan J. Baptiste Sports Complex in Kapa‘a, Wednesdays at the Kekaha Neighborhood Center, Thursdays at the Kilauea Neighborhood Center, and Fridays at the Kalaheo Neighborhood Center. It’s open from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. each day.
