Officials Urge Precaution with 81 Active Cases on Garden Isle

The Hawai‘i State Department of Health Kaua‘i District Health Office reported 13 new cases of COVID-19 on Saturday, Dec. 11.

Today’s cases are all residents. Of the 13 new cases, five are children and eight are adults. One of the cases is related to international travel. The remaining 12 cases are considered community-acquired. Nine of the community-acquired infections are close contacts of a previously announced case or are tied to an active cluster. The remaining three cases have no known source of infection.

Today’s cases bring the number of active cases to 81, with seven hospitalized, and 3,335 cumulative cases. Kaua‘i’s cumulative case count includes 3,271 confirmed locally, eight probable, and 56 positive cases diagnosed elsewhere, as they received their pre-travel test results after arriving on island.

DOH contact tracing and more info:

Daily case counts remain elevated. The Department of Health case investigators and contact tracers call all new cases, generally within a day or two of a positive test. If you test positive, there is no need to wait to hear from the Department of Health before taking action: isolate yourself at home, and let those you’ve been in contact with know that they’ve been exposed. Your close contacts should quarantine and plan to be tested. Your prompt action makes a difference.

If you have symptoms or are feeling sick, you should isolate yourself immediately, stay away from household members, and not go out – including to work or school – unless you are seeking testing or getting health care. Those who have been vaccinated should still be tested if they believe they may have been exposed or if they feel sick.

Most reported cases are in residents who were infected in the community. Everyone, vaccinated or not, must follow Hawai‘i’s indoor mask requirements and gathering size limits. In addition, if you plan to travel, please be vaccinated before you go, and get tested three to five days after you return to Kaua‘i. If you plan a trip, please be vaccinated before you go. And whether or not you are vaccinated, follow Hawai‘i’s prudent rules and wear a mask in crowded indoor settings.