LIHU‘E — The first on-island COVID-19 fatality was reported Monday morning, Mayor Derek Kawakami announced. The elderly male resident had no travel history.
“It is heartbreaking to report this news especially as the Thanksgiving holiday approaches this week,” Mayor Derek S.K. Kawakami said in a press release. “As a community, we share in this painful loss together and we extend our sincere prayers, love and aloha to the family and loved ones of this individual.”
Earlier this year, one off-island Kaua‘i resident died in Arizona. The state’s Department of Health has reported 233 deaths to date.
Monday, the county reported four new on-island cases among one adult resident and three adult visitors. One of these cases participated in the state’s Safe Travels program and did not receive a positive result until after arrival.
The county has 23 active cases, with 117 cumulative cases reported. Of this, 103 have been confirmed locally, one probable and 13 positive cases diagnosed elsewhere. Eighteen of these cases have been reported in the past four days.
Statewide, health officials reported 114 new COVID-19 cases, including 80 on O‘ahu, 10 on Hawai‘i Island, 11 on Maui, and three on Kaua‘i. State and county numbers differ due to lag times in reporting.
In the last two weeks, the state has reported 1,314 new cases. There are currently 72 hospitalized across the islands, none on Kaua‘i, according to the Hawai‘i Emergency Management Agency.
The County of Kaua‘i remains on Tier 4 of its four-tiered reopening system that dictates what recreational and business activities are allowed based on infection rates and new case counts.
With Monday’s new cases, the county has a seven-day average of daily cases of 3.57, above the Tier 4 threshold of 2.0.
“While we currently remain in Tier 4, the dramatically increasing case count is threatening to restrict our activities,” Kawakami said. “If our daily cases continue at the current rate, it could quickly drive us to Tier 3 or even Tier 2.”
Friday, the county said if the average remains above two, it’s possible to move tiers by the first week of December.
