Kauaʻi Tallies Nearly 3K Cumulative COVID Cases

The Hawai‘i State Department of Health Kaua‘i District Health Office reported 19 new cases of COVID-19 on Wednesday, Nov. 17.

Today’s cases consist of one visitor and 18 residents. Of the 19 new cases, four are children and 15 are adults. Two of the cases are related to mainland travel. The remaining 17 cases are considered community-acquired.

Eleven of the community-acquired infections are close contacts of a previously announced case or are tied to an active cluster. The remaining six cases have no known source of infection, including one whom investigators have been unable to reach after repeated attempts or who has refused to provide information.

Today’s cases bring the number of active cases to 125, with 12 hospitalized, and 2,999 cumulative cases. Kaua‘i’s cumulative case count includes 2,939 confirmed locally, eight probable, and 52 positive cases diagnosed elsewhere, as they received their pre-travel test results after arriving on island.

“This is the largest number of hospitalizations we have seen at one time. While our hospital capacity remains adequate, we are concerned about preventing our residents from becoming so sick that they require hospital care,” said Dr. Janet Berreman, Kaua‘i District Health Officer. “If you test positive, you may be eligible for monoclonal antibody treatment, which reduces the severity of disease and can prevent hospitalization. Your DOH case investigator can help you access this treatment. It’s important to be treated as early as possible in your illness. Treatment is especially important for those who are not yet vaccinated. And of course, vaccination provides the strongest protection from severe disease and hospitalization.”