LIHU‘E — Health officials identified another household with positive cases of COVID-19 on Wednesday, resulting in four new positive cases on the island and bringing the confirmed positive total up to 12.
Kauai District Health Officer Janet Berreman said Wednesday that all of those individuals are either mildly ill or asymptomatic, and “so far, no one has required hospitalization.”
Both of the households are located on the south side of Kaua‘i, but Berreman said Wednesday the current location of those in isolation isn’t being released in order to protect their privacy and the health department keeping tabs on the individuals. The most recent individuals to test positive for the virus include one adult and three children.
“DOH personnel stays in contact with them daily to ensure their needs are met,” Berreman said.
The four new cases are part of the second household to test positive for the virus since June 18 and were discovered through a contact tracing investigation that has identified and tested more than 100 individuals on the island since June 18. All of those close contacts have been quarantined and tested for the virus, and the investigation continues into the source and spread of COVID-19 on Kaua‘i.
“We get a lot of questions about where this latest Kaua`i outbreak originated,” Berreman said on Wednesday. “We continue to investigate the possible source of this infection—in particular, whether there may be a link to travel. Thus far we have no definite indication of a travel source, but we are actively pursuing all leads and will keep you posted.”
Berreman also clarified the difference between isolation and quarantine on Wednesday.
Quarantine applies to people who may have been exposed to the virus. Those under quarantine are at risk of becoming ill, but currently are not ill and “must not leave their place of quarantine or receive guests during a 14-day period from their date of exposure.”
“Most of those in quarantine are now being tested early in the course of their quarantine—that’s how our new cases have been identified,” Berreman said. “But a negative test does not ensure that an individual won’t become sick, or turn positive, during the remainder of their quarantine. So a negative test does not shorten the duration of the quarantine.”
Isolation applies to people who are sick with COVID-19 and must be kept apart from people who are not infected. For those who need to be hospitalized, isolation continues in the hospital.
“The duration of their isolation depends on the course of their illness—it can be shorter or longer than quarantine,” Berreman said.
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Jessica Else, editor-in-chief, can be reached at 245-0457 or jelse@thegardenisland.com.
In the beginning with curfew we all stayed at home, social distancing and wearing masks was to keep from spreading the virus.
We made it past 60 days and all got relaxed and then all of a sudden it’s back. How is it that if the “few” people coming in are made to quarantined for 14 days then how could this come back? I struggle with this because I followed the rules since February and now I have to start all over again because someone didn’t follow the rules. I will NOT spend another 4 months isolated in my house again just to have someone violate the rules again.
We need the details in this case and because I live 3 blocks from where the people lived I have some concerns.
Where do you live? What town?
Your question is spot on.
The answer is, that the shutdown was NOT to prevent the virus, that’s the biggest lie ever, perpetuated by politicians and the media..
The lockdown was intended only to SLOW THE SPREAD, not to prevent it! It’s impossible to prevent!! The point of slowing the spread is to buy time for the medical services to gear up and be ready to handle the overflow..
At this point they are ready, open the island , have the elderly take some precautions, and deal with the fallout.. the only other alternative is keep the island under full martial law, no one leaves their house until there’s a vaccine, since that’s not doable, just open it all up, and deal with it, that’s the only way..
I’m shocked and worried at the news of a whole bunch of cases near by too. I was wondering if it’s possible someone came in that didn’t quarantine or possibly a package or something from somewhere else? If not then that means it’s spreading locally undetected and that is really scary for this area.
“I will NOT spend another 4 months isolated in my house again just to have someone violate the rules again.”
In other words, when they go low, you go lower.
You’re petty.
While we do not know, and may never know, the origin of this hotspot, this news again highlights the fundamental truth that we cannot wish this pandemic away by banning visitors, no matter how oddly the schemes . Yes, we should do everything to fight the disease by proven means: 1) testing as manny folks as possible, 2) wearing masks and 3) contact tracing. But setting the expectation that we can wish this disease away from our shores by targeting and quarantining visitors alone is unrealistic and counterproductive.
I say this as someone who normally spends a couple months a year on the island and is now staying away…. If you were letting visitors in, you’d probably have more like 1200 cases right now, not just 12.
You just couldn’t follow the rules for once in your lives, could you. You couldn’t think about anyone but yourselves and your needs to shed your masks and act like it wasn’t happening. Well, now you’re sick, and you’ve probably passed this infection on to people who could easily die from it. But hey, you got yours, didn’t you? You got to break the rules, get all huggy kissy with your cousins without masks or any respect for this virus. Why not? Kill off the elderly who are probably still paying your rent and watching your idiot kids while you party with your friends. Back to normal, eh?
Right on Jake. Use the masks and obey social distancing. Woof!
So what??? How many of them will die or require heroic measures to save their lives? Probably none. The point of flattening the curve according to the CDC was to spread out the infections so as not to overwhelm medical facilities, not to eradicate the virus, which will never be done. Get used to it and get on with life. Take common sense precautions and stop living in terror. This is madness.
Get over it. If you are retired and rich, you are likely campaigning to keep new arrivals out.
Even those with “guaranteed” income, like government workers, will eventually feel the pinch if we do not get those tourist dollars rolling in.
For the rest of us, we need the tourist dollars to survive. So we must open us, however carefully, and we must understand that Covid-19 will find its way around our island. Wear a mask, socially distance, get tested when not feeling well, cooperate with contact tracing and hope for the best.
Otherwise, if we stay closed, people will start to rebel when they cannot pay their taxes, put food on the table, and keep a roof over their heads.
THIS IS A TEST of our states ability to track down these cases. If you can’t do it on Kaua’i where the heck can they do out? We all know how the coconut wireless works so these trackers NEED to show us they can do it. Our future depends on it!
well…I livenext door to someone that went out every day. “every day “. but, they are above the law, I suppose.
oh, and an illegal B&B on the other side. for the record all haoles, and I am not, I am a kupuna. elderly for you all that don’t know what kupuna means.
Town ?…Kilauea…