Lāna‘i COVID-19 Cases Now 94: Mayor Expects Leveling Off and Steady Decline in Next Week

October 28, 2020, 7:11 AM HST
* Updated October 28, 12:57 PM

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By Wendy Osher

*Updated to reflect today’s case count provided by the state Department of Health.

So far, an estimated 87% of the island population on Lānaʻi has been tested with 2,747 tests administered since an outbreak was first reported early last week. That brings the island’s positivity rate to 3.13 percent.

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Over the last seven days, the average rolling rate has been slightly higher at 4.66 percent.

Maui Mayor Michael Victorino said he does not anticipate a further surge following mitigation efforts.

“I’m very confident in keeping it under control. I think the community realizes the importance of working together and having respect for each other. We have the National Guard as well as the Department of Health on the ground meeting with the various groups,” said Mayor Victorino.

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“I think we’ve gotten the brunt of it and hopefully over the next week we’ll see a steady decline and leveling off… where the positivity rate will be dropping,” said Mayor Victorino during an afternoon press briefing on Tuesday.

The state Department of Health reported nine cases on Tuesday and seven today for a total of 93 COVID-19 positive cases associated with the recent outbreak since it was first reported on Oct. 20, 2020.

Hawai‘i’s COVID-19 death toll decreased to at 213 today, due to updated information provided by the state Department of Health. As a result of updated information, one case from Oʻahu was removed from the counts; and two previously reported deaths were determined to not be related to COVID-19 and were removed from the counts (1 from Lānaʻi, and 1 from Maui).

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Additional testing is set for Wednesday, from 8:30 a.m. to 3 p.m., at the Lānaʻi Community Hospital; and mass testing will be conducted from 7 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday behind the Lānaʻi administration building. Appointments are encouraged. Individuals interested in setting up an appointment can call Straub at 565-6423 or Lānaʻi Community Health Center, 565-6919.

The County of Maui is encouraging everyone who hasn’t been tested to do so, and for more children to be tested as well.

According to DOH, the Lānaʻi outbreak was driven by a couple of large social gatherings. County officials say this shows how quickly this virus can spread and the collective effect when no masking or physical distancing is practiced at large gatherings.