Eight individuals in isolation

LIHU‘E — Kaua‘i health officials have identified no new positive cases after testing a large number of contacts of Kaua‘i COVID-19 cases over the weekend.

Tests were administered Saturday and Sunday to several dozen individuals who were contacts of eight positive cases identified earlier in the week. The test results were returned late Monday and were all negative.

That’s according to a Tuesday press release from County of Kaua‘i.

The eight active cases remain in isolation. The individuals who were tested are all close contacts of positive cases. These contacts remain in quarantine and continue to be monitored, because illness can develop at any time during the 14-day incubation period.

Trained contact-tracing teams are continuing their inquiry into the origins and the extent of the new outbreak. There is no indication that these cases are travel-related.

State Department of Health Kaua‘i District Health Officer Dr. Janet Berreman said that a few additional contacts have been identified and tested, and those test results will be available in the next few days.

“As we continue monitoring contacts who are in quarantine and identifying additional contacts, we will continue testing and possibly re-testing in order to identify anyone else who may become ill,” Berreman said.

The island’s cumulative case count stands at 29.

“While these tests results are encouraging, we cannot let our guard down,” said Mayor Derek Kawakami. “We continue to manage this outbreak carefully. Once again, it reminds us of our need to take recommended measures to protect our friends and fellow residents.”

As of Tuesday afternoon, Hawaii Department of Health reported a cumulative total of COVID-19 cases statewide at 819, with three newly reported cases included in that number. DOH states there have been 85 cumulative confirmed cases on Hawai‘i Island, 571 confirmed cases in Honolulu County, 29 in Kaua‘i County, and 122 in Maui County. Of the 819 confirmed cases, 673 have been released from isolation and there have been 17 deaths. DOH reports 13% of Hawai‘i COVID-19 cases have required hospitalization.

Kaua‘i went for 10 weeks without a positive case of COVID-19 before a household cluster was discovered on the island. The first individual’s positive test for the virus came back on June 18. Health officials quarantined contacts of the man with COVID-19 and out of those contacts, seven people tested positive for the virus. Those who tested positive were already in quarantine when the results were returned.