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UPDATE 3:10 p.m.:
Honolulu Mayor Kirk Caldwell said this afternoon that two of the confirmed cases of coronavirus in Hawaii involve children.
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Eight more people have tested positive for coronavirus in Hawaii — including another child — bringing the state cases to 56, the state Department of Health said today.
As of noon today, six of the new patients were on Oahu and two were on Maui.
Three of the new cases required hospitalization and two remain hospitalized, the Health Department said. No deaths due to COVID-19 have been reported in Hawaii.
All of the new cases are Hawaii residents, and the total of number of local residents diagnosed with the disease now stands at 48. Only eight cases are non-residents.
The Health Department has said there is a stigma developing against visitors in Hawaii and noted the majority of cases are residents who returned home after traveling.
The travel histories for the new cases are still pending, but two had definite travel while another two had contacts with travelers. There still remains no confirmed cases community spread infections, which are defined as those that cannot be traced back to a traveler and have absolutely no connection with travel.
On Saturday, the Health Department said of all the 48 cases reported that day, all but one was travel-related and that one was still under investigation.
With today’s announcement of another child testing positive for coronavirus, the state’s pediatric cases now stands at two.
Health officials said that more than 2,700 tests performed for people in Hawaii by private clinical labs to date. As the number of labs doing testing increases, so likely will the number of positive cases.
The DOH State Laboratories Division has tested 48 “persons under investigation” and 263 sentinel surveillance samples, officials said, noting that all the sentinel tests have been negative.
On Saturday, Gov. David Ige issued an emergency order mandating that effective Thursday all people entering the state of Hawaii must self-quarantine for 14 days or for the duration of their stay in Hawaii, whichever is shorter.
“Upon arrival, residents are required to self-quarantine in a designated location in their residence,” according to COVID-19 Hawaii Joint Information Center. “Visitors will self-quarantine in their hotel room or rented lodging. Self-quarantined individuals may only leave their designated location for medical emergencies or to seek medical care. Failure to comply with all rules and protocols related to quarantines is punishable by fines of up to $5000 and/or imprisonment of up to one year.”
Health officials are also reminding the public “to be judicious when shopping for food and essential goods so that kupuna and others in need are able to purchase necessary items. The Hawaii Department of Transportation Harbors Division continues to manage Hawai‘i’s commercial ports–the lifeline for Hawai‘i communities for food, medical supplies, clothing, household goods and more. There have been no interruptions to the supply chain as a result of COVID-19.”
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Visit the CDC’s COVID-19 Self-Checker website for more info.
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