LIHU‘E — Tuesday, the state Department of Health Kaua‘i District Health Office announced the island’s seventh COVID-19-related fatality as well as 32 new infections.
The fatality was a female Kaua‘i resident in her 90s who was hospitalized. This is the fifth COVID-19-related death in August.
“We extend our sincerest condolences to the family, friends and loved ones of this individual,” Mayor Derek Kawakami said in a Tuesday release.
Tuesday’s cases are two visitors and 30 residents, 10 children and 22 adults.
Five of the cases are related to travel, two linked to mainland and three to interisland travel. The remaining 27 cases are labeled community-acquired. Twenty are close contacts of previously announced cases or are tied to one of the county’s active clusters. The remaining seven community-acquired cases have no known source of infection.
This report brings the number of active cases to 276, with four hospitalized. According to the Hawai‘i Emergency Management Agency, two of the county’s 11 intensive-care-unit beds are being used by COVID-19 patients as of Tuesday. Three other ICU beds are in use for non-COVID-19-related care. Cumulatively, the county has reported 40 hospitalizations throughout the pandemic.
In the month of August, the county reported 804 COVID-19 cases, the majority of which, 92%, were in residents, according to press-release data sent out by the county. Only 63 cases were in visitors.
About 28% of cases reported in August were among children.
Only about a quarter of the cases were related to travel, with community spread accounting for 610 confirmed infections.
“I continue to urge our community to come together and shift our behavior,” Kawakami said. “We must avoid travel unless necessary, avoid gathering in large groups, and if you have to gather, gather outside. Wear your masks, stay home if you’re sick, and get tested and get
vaccinated. There is no guarantee that these actions will be enough, but they are our best hope to avoid a shutdown.”
On Monday, during the county’s weekly COVID-19 briefing, Kawakami reported seven active clusters, including two social gatherings, two places of worship, one shelter, Kaua‘i Community Correctional Center, one educational facility, and one occupational cluster in a construction company.
According to the state’s Department of Public Safety, KCCC reported four new positive inmate tests on Tuesday, as well as three staff cases. There are currently 20 inmates actively positive and 20 in medical isolation. Sixty-three of 84 inmates have recovered.
To date, the county has seen 1,412 cumulative cases reported on island.
Today, the county’s free mobile-testing van is available for walk-ins from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Kekaha Neighborhood Center. Testing is also free and available at the Kaua‘i War Memorial Convention Hall in Lihu‘e from 8 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., on a first-come, first-served basis. Free drive-thru testing is also available at Lihu‘e Pharmacy from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Please listen him so we can avoid shut down
“We must avoid travel unless necessary, avoid gathering in large groups, and if you have to gather, gather outside. Wear your masks, stay home if you’re sick, and get tested”
Unless tourists also do these things (and they are not) there is no avoiding a shutdown Jamie. “Visitors” are appearing daily in our numbers, but only those visitors who are sick enough to seek help. Many are carrying covid and running around spreading it, just like locals who travel. Many are using fake vaccine cards. Until our esteemed government controls travel testing again the numbers will not go down, and it’s not all on the residents.
“many are carrying covid” ?? how do you know this?
“Many are using fake vaccine cards” -are you clairvoyant or something?
the facts state otherwise, fearful doug.
Doug, I think you’re wrong about whether it’s tourists or residents causing the most spread. I do agree anyone coming to Kauai should be pre tested regardless.
The stats are close but not always accurate. This states the cumulative cases as 1412 but yesterday the paper said cumulative cases were 1437. Possibly some tyrned out not to be Covid in yesterday’s count? It’s way too many regardles.
Please listen to him so we avoid shut down
Please stop driving your cars!
You could injure or kill someone.
Hospitals should not treat car accident victims, because they chose to drive.
Insurance should not cover vehicles because it’s a choice to drive.
This same logic applies to those that want vaccine requirements to protect themselves from the unvaccinated.
I can’t believe how brainwashed and mentally deficient these people have become from fear and propaganda.
Can just anyone drive a car?
Are young/new drivers trained extensively before becoming full-fledged drivers?
Are you required to be licensed to be a full-fledged driver?
If you are under the influence of drugs or alcohol, is it legal to go out driving?
If you are simply too impaired from illness or conditions, is it legal to go out driving?
Do you need safe equipment to drive?
Does the equipment need to be updated and certified regularly?
Does your insurance cover you if you willfully disregard safe driving practices?
Are you required to use safety equipment when driving in public?
I can believe all too well how some people recently have begun crying about their freedoms when asked (not even forced) to take common sense precautions against a virus that is killing so many.
Please, people, get a vaccination and wear a mask. Don’t take unnecessary risks. It’s not just you who you are risking. You live in a society whether you want to or not.
Not forced? What isn’t force about mandatory quarantine? That is force! Forced bankruptcy thru business lockdowns. Now there are fines for refusal to bend to senseless mask and distancing mandates.
Common sense? You just proved my point by listing driving choices as compared to force!
Are you paid by the government hoping we go totally communist.
Lock yourself down if you have so much fear and let freedom loving Americans be free!
Covid is here and going to stay.
Everyone’s death should be mourned, but we should be cognizant about their actual cause of death. This person was 90 years old. Nearly all covid-counted deaths are in people with health complications – due to age or weight (obesity). This person likely died WITH covid, and may have had NO symptoms. We don’t actually know if they died BECAUSE OF covid.
This is all theatre. Testing more people means more cases. The testing has continued to increase and so has the case count. If you test less people it would mean less cases.
Further, why are we so concerned about “cases” with NO symptoms? That’s not even a true “case” in the medical sense.
And finally, it looks like the vaccines aren’t working. If they were working we wouldn’t have seen such a huge surge in cases, regardless of test counts.
There is an understanding from evolutionary biology that explains it: the vaccine creates pressure on the virus to mutate. There is evidence that the Delta variant was caused by or strengthened due to vaccination. The vaccines have little to no protection against the Delta variant.
Please, seek other means of protecting yourself. Look into other therapeutics. For further information backed by research search for Swiss Policy Research
More like a D grade horror flick.
Cite your sources for “there is evidence…” It works exactly the opposite of what you’re espousing.
Interesting how they mention the people who recovered in kccc. But they never say that about the community cases. Hmmmm
We don’t need shutdowns or restrictions. Covid is here to stay. The vaccine has been available for 8 months and the virus is raging. Look at graphs from around the world. The countries with the highest vaccination rates have the highest case and death counts. The plan they sold us is not working. End all this nonsense, let’s get back to life as normal and save what we have left of this world and our freedoms.