LIHU‘E — Friday, Hawai‘i State Department of Health Kaua‘i District Health Office announced a fatality and 288 new cases of COVID-19.
The 19th death attributed to COVID-19 on Kaua‘i was of Kaua‘i Police Department Sgt. David Banquel, who was not hospitalized, according to KPD.
Banquel, 47, was found unresponsive at his Hanapepe home while off duty on Tuesday, according to KPD. His death is attributed to acute respiratory failure due to COVID-19.
“Every fatality that we announce is heartbreaking, but this individual was someone I called a friend,” Kawakami said Friday. “There are no words that can fully express the grief we feel when someone we love passes. To his family, friends, co-workers, and our entire community, our hearts and prayers are with you all.”
This brings the county’s active, recorded case count to 941, with six hospitalized.
Vaccines for those ages 5 to 11 are available at Walmart, Longs Drugs at Kukui Grove Center in Lihu‘e and Kaiser Permanente.
Mobile-vaccine clinics for those 5 and older are available at Kanuikapono Public Charter School in Anahola and the Kekaha Neighborhood Center Saturday from 9 to 11 a.m. Walk-ins are accepted, and minors must be accompanied by a parent or guardian.
On Wednesday, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention expanded eligibility of booster doses to those 12 to 15 years old. CDC now recommends that adolescents age 12 to 17 years old should receive a booster shot five months after their initial Pfizer-BioNTech vaccination series. At this time, only the Pfizer vaccine is authorized and recommended for adolescents aged 12 to 17.
Also this week, the CDC reduced the interval for receiving a booster shot for people who received the Pfizer or Moderna vaccines, from six months to five months. The booster interval recommendation remains unchanged for people who received the J&J vaccine (two months).
Vaccine locations can be found at kauai.gov/vaccine.
The Kaua‘i War Memorial Convention Hall in Lihu‘e is open daily from 8 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. for testing. Appointments for free drive-thru testing at Lihu‘e Pharmacy be made at AlohaClear.com. Testing locations can be found at kauai.gov/covidtest.
This article was updated for clarity.
My sincere condolences to his family.
Met this guy riding motorbikes….was a super nice guy, also met him while he was working…cant believe it happened to him, of all people RIP David Banquel and THANK YOU for your years of service with KAUAI POLICE DEPT.