A COVID-19 cluster on Kauai that has grown to 36 instances has been traced again to a church in Nawiliwili.
The state Division of Well being reported as we speak that the cluster related to King’s Chapel in Nawiliwili is as much as 36 instances as of Friday and can seemingly turn out to be bigger. On Monday it the cluster dimension was 16 instances.
“We solely recognized the cluster every week in the past and instances are nonetheless trickling in, so … we count on it to continue to grow,” Dr. Janet Berreman, the district well being officer for the Kauai District Well being Workplace, instructed the Honolulu Star-Advertiser.
The ages of these contaminated vary from 2 years previous to over 60, well being officers stated. 4 of the instances have been individuals who had contact with just lately contaminated churchgoers.
The scale of the cluster — one of many largest in Kauai so far — prompted the state to reveal the state of affairs to the general public. Berreman additionally stated the church congregation is “pretty giant.”
“DOH discloses cluster areas when there’s an imminent danger to public well being. Primarily based on the findings of our investigation, we imagine disclosure is warranted to forestall additional transmission of the illness,” State Epidemiologist Dr. Sarah Kemble stated in a information launch.
The main focus of the investigation is on the church’s recurring in-person actions. The church streams its providers on-line, however Berreman stated it additionally gives common in-person providers and youth actions.
The instances date way back to Halloween, and the division is advising anybody who attended any occasions on the church since then to get examined for the coronavirus.
On Halloween, the church additionally held a drive-thru “Trunk or Deal with” occasion that the division stated could have contributed to the cluster.
“Anybody who attended this occasion — particularly anybody who was un-masked or who interacted for quarter-hour or extra with others — ought to get examined,” well being officers stated in a information launch.
The division has suggested congregants to take part within the digital providers till the COVID-19 cluster is contained.
The chapel is a part of the King’s Cathedral and Chapels group, which was linked in March to a cluster of a minimum of 55 COVID-19 instances on Maui. The group had rejected the state’s advice to close in-person services whereas the coronavirus cluster was energetic.
King’s Chapel officers weren’t instantly obtainable for remark for this story.
Kauai has skilled an increase in COVID-19 instances just lately, and the Well being Division famous that the county’s case counts are the very best per capita within the state.
The island’s seven-day common case depend is 23, whereas its common every day case depend in 2021 is about 8.6 instances. Kauai’s seven-day common testing positivity fee is 4.2% in contrast with 1.7% for the state.
The state Well being Division has reported a complete of 157 new coronavirus instances on the island this week.