LIHU‘E — In a record-high count Tuesday the state Department of Health Kaua‘i District Health Office reported 120 new cases of COVID-19 on Kaua‘i.
This is nearly double the previous county-high of 62 new cases reported on Sept. 2.
Because of this “rapidly rising case count,” the KDHO will no longer be providing a breakdown of new cases, according to Kaua‘i District Health Officer Dr. Janet Berreman said.
“This allows timely public notification of the number of new cases,” Berreman said in a statement.
“Information about resident-versus-visitor cases, travel-versus-community-acquired and age distribution will continue to be available on the Department of Health’s online data dashboard. The daily case counts reported by KDHO continue to be in advance of case totals reported by the state.”
Since the early days of the pandemic, the KDHO has offered in-depth reports ahead of daily statewide counts, which are delayed.
Over the last week, the county, in conjunction with state global trends, has seen a rise in infections, most notably attributed to the omicron variant, which data has shown to be more transmissible than other variants. According to the DOH dashboard, the county has seen a 253% climb in new cases from the period of Dec. 13 to 26.
The county currently has a 6.4% test positivity rate, while the state sees a 12.2% average test positivity rate.
The county currently has 353 reported active cases, with four hospitalized.
To date, Kaua‘i has recorded 3,798 cumulative cases.
Recent data has shown that the omicron variant is causing more-severe disease and hospitalization in younger children. Monoclonal antibody treatments that were effective against the delta variant, Berreman said, have not been working as well on the omicron variant.
Pediatric vaccines for those 5 to 11 are available at Walmart, Longs Drugs at Kukui Grove Center in Lihu‘e and Kaiser Permanente.
Wilcox Medical Center will host a pediatric vaccine clinic Thursday from 4 to 6 p.m. The center hosts a clinic for those 12 and older today from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Appointments are required for third and booster doses, and walk-ins are welcome for first and second doses.
To schedule an appointment, visit wilcoxhealth.org/vaccine.
The Kaua‘i Veterans Memorial Hospital in Waimea has a walk-in-accepted pediatric clinic today from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m.
The Kaua‘i War Memorial Convention Hall in Lihu‘e is open today and Thursday from 8 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. The testing center is closed Friday in observation of the New Year’s holiday.
Additionally, a free mobile testing van is available for walk-ins from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Kekaha Neighborhood Center today, Kilauea Neighborhood Center on Thursdays and the Mayor Bryan J. Baptiste Sports Complex in Kapa‘a on Sundays. The testing clinics normally open in Kalaheo on Fridays and Hanalei on Saturdays will be closed Dec. 31 and Jan. 1 in observation of the holiday, and will reopen the following week.
Free drive-thru testing at Lihu‘e Pharmacy will be closed on New Year’s Day and reopen on Sunday, Jan. 2. Appointments can be made at AlohaClear.com.
