LIHU‘E — Officials continue to investigate two clusters on island, Kaua‘i District Health Officer Dr. Janet Berreman reported Monday.
“One of these is a restaurant cluster involving seven people with confirmed COVID-19, including employees and patrons. The other is a newly identified cluster in an education setting, with six people confirmed to have COVID-19. More cases may be identified as the investigations continue,” Berreman said. “We thank both establishments for cooperating with the DOH’s investigations and communications.”
The restaurant cluster is Tahiti Nui in Hanalei, including cases among restaurant workers and diners, according to the DOH.
Last week, the Hawai‘i Department of Education released its first cluster incident report, which stated there was one case reported off-campus at Kapa‘a High School. Berreman confirmed that this new educational cluster is different.
As of the state’s last COVID-19 Cluster investigation report on Aug. 5, the DOH was looking at one educational setting which led to eight infections, and one shelter, which led to six.
Monday, the county recorded 11 new cases of COVID-19 among three visitors and eight residents. Five of the 11 cases are in children.
Six of the cases are related to travel, four to associated with the mainland and two with interisland travel. The remaining five cases are considered community-acquired. All five of the community-acquired infections are close contacts of previously announced cases or tied to a new cluster.
The county has 103 active cases, with 96 isolating at home and four in the county’s isolation facility. Three are hospitalized.
“We are very concerned about the spike in cases on our island and across the state,” Mayor Derek Kawakami said Monday during the county’s COVID-19 briefing. “With the spread of the delta variant, increased travel and school back in session, we are asking for your help to protect our keiki.”
Of the last 95 cases on island, 25 were in children, Kawakami reported.
Those under 12 are not eligible for a vaccine.
“We want this school year to be a success,” Berreman said. “If you or your student is sick, please do not go to school. Stay home and call your doctor. Please don’t risk getting your student’s classmates and their families sick.”
The county is currently on the fifth of its six-tier system that dictates the different levels of restrictions and mandates.
“The county is considering ways to help mitigate this current spike in cases,” Kawakami’s Chief of Staff Sarah Blane said on Sunday. “At this point, we would like to avoid an across-the-board change in tiers if at all possible, as most businesses and activities have been able to operate safely.”
The county is, however, looking at reducing social gathering sizes.
“Updates will be provided as decisions are made,” Blane said. “In the meantime, we know the most effective mitigating measures are to get vaccinated if you are able, and continue to diligently wear your masks.”
Monday’s cases bring the number of active cases to 103, with three hospitalized, and 722 cumulative cases. Kaua‘i’s cumulative case count includes 668 confirmed locally, eight probable, and 46 positive cases diagnosed elsewhere, as they received their pre-travel test results after arriving on island.
