LIHU‘E — Faced with record COVID-19 case counts, the state Department of Health is temporarily limiting release of the data they collect and suspending the processing of negative cases.
This means that data about the test-positivity rate will be temporarily unavailable.
According to the DOH, the high volume of tests led to thousands of cases going unreported this weekend.
“The number of cases Hawai‘i is experiencing is unprecedented, leading to a tremendous demand for testing. As testing data flows through the electronic-reporting system, the system is stressed,” said DOH Director Dr. Elizabeth Char, FACEP. “We must adapt to address these circumstances.”
DOH Kaua‘i District Health Officer Dr. Janet Berreman is confident Kaua‘i county will get by without the data.
“Positivity rate is just one of the indicators we monitor,” she said. “We rely most on trends in daily case counts. Fortunately, we know that Kaua‘i is doing a very high level of testing for our population size, and testing opportunities are continuing uninterrupted.”
The KDHO district has also adjusted its practices to the high case counts — 141 new cases on Monday, bringing the number of active cases to 836, with seven individuals hospitalized.
“We have made changes to our case-investigation and contact-tracing activities, to focus on the highest-priority and highest-impact work,” said Berreman.
“We continue to attempt to reach every positive case reported to us, but we are not able to do so as promptly as in the past, and there are some individuals we are not able to reach before the end of their isolation period now that the isolation period has been shortened,” she said.
Additionally, she reports, the KDHO no longer reaches out to close contacts of positive cases, instead asking those who test positive to notify close contacts themselves. They continue to help schools and employers with
contact tracing when they are impacted by COVID-19 cases.
This mirrors a change at the state level, where contact tracers overwhelmed by the high caseload are focusing their attention on priority groups including COVID-19 clusters associated with schools and high-risk settings such as long-term-care facilities.
“We have reported roughly 48,000 COVID-19 cases in the past two weeks. It would be unrealistic to think our 378 contact tracers could get in touch with all those people,” said DOH State Epidemiologist Dr. Sarah Kemble.
“So we are focusing on providing general and setting-specific guidance, and on cluster investigations that will help protect vulnerable populations.”
In order to reduce the spread of COVID-19, state health officials recommend wearing well-fitting masks around anyone outside of one’s household, and avoiding large crowds.
People who test positive or have symptoms of COVID-19 should isolate at home right away and let close contacts, employer, schools, etc. know of the positive test. Guidelines for isolation and quarantine, along with vaccination and testing options, are available at hawaiicovid19.com.
More detailed information on new cases is available on the DOH COVID-19 data dashboard, health.hawaii.gov/coronavirusdisease2019/current-situation-in-hawaii/.
For more information on the county’s COVID-19 response, visit kauai.gov/COVID-19.
Free vaccination is offered islandwide. Vaccinations are available to anyone 5 years of age or older and are free, safe and effective. For details on the vaccination sites, visit kauai.gov/vaccine.
Free testing is also available islandwide. For a full list of testing sites and more details, visit kauai.gov/covidtest. The Kaua‘i War Memorial Convention Hall testing center is limited to 500 tests per day, and the free mobile testing van is limited to 100 tests per day.
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Guthrie Scrimgeour, reporter, can be reached at 647-0329 or gscrimgeour@thegardenisland.com.
Those darn locals! It’s all their fault! Never mind that Omicron is infecting, killing and is carried by vaccinated travelers (tourist and local) and is currently being spread by travelers all over the island, it’s still not their fault. Kudos to Governor Ige, Josh Green and Derek for a job well done!
Huh, it’s almost as if they had over 2 years to figure this out. I wonder where all the federal government money went? Otherwise this sounds like a big excuse – the vaccines aren’t working so they want to stop counting. There are more cases now than before the vaccines.
My entire family contracted and recovered from covid. It’s time to stop blaming everyone for its spread since it is very contagious. The doctor’s will not treat you until you are in the hospital. Take care of your health and make sure you keep up on natural immune system boosting vitamins and healthy foods. Vitamins C, D, and Zinc all have been proven to show benefits for one’s health.
This does not make sense. Let’s take away the information that helps residents make informed decisions.
How about saving State Money and shutting down the DOH? The past 2 years have shown what they have been doing all these years in preparing….NOTHING!