The state Department of Health on Thursday continued to monitor a cluster of COVID-19 cases among crew members of the Pride of America cruise ship as the state’s positive or presumptive case count topped 440.
There have been 442 cases of COVID-19 in Hawaii, including seven new cases, as of noon Tuesday, according to health officials. Two of the new cases were reported from Hawaii County.
Of those cases, 334 were in the City and County of Honolulu, 57 in Maui County, 28 in Hawaii County and 18 in Kauai County. Identification by county is pending in three cases, according to the DOH.
Of the statewide cases, 42 have required hospitalization and six have resulted in death — four on Oahu and two on Maui. None of the 28 cases on the Big Island have required hospitalization.
According to the DOH, 251 of those diagnosed as COVID-19 positive have been released from isolation.
More than 16,000 people in Hawaii have been vested for the virus by clinical and state labs.
That includes the seven crew members of the Norwegian Cruise Line Pride of America who are in isolation after testing positive, health officials said Thursday.
“Their close contacts have also been placed in quarantine. Anyone on the ship who had symptoms or develops symptoms associated with COVID-19 will be tested immediately. The ship is following strict physical distancing procedures, recommended by the CDC and DOH, and reviewed with the ship’s officers,” an update from the COVID-19 Joint Information Center said.
Approximately 300 or so healthy crew members will be sent home while a minimal crew of about 200 will remain on board to sail the ship to the mainland and into dry dock, the center said.
“These people will be masked and will proceed directly to the airport to travel to their home where they will self-quarantine for 14 days,” the center said about the approximately 300 crew being sent home.
The state Department of Transportation first announced the cases Wednesday evening, noting that two of the crew members were taken to the hospital for medical treatment while the other cases were isolated on the ship.
The Pride of America, which has its home port in Hawaii and only travels interisland, is docked at Honolulu Harbor and has not had passengers on board since March 14, when cruise ships temporarily suspended operations, the state Department of Transportation said.
The vessel last visited Kailua-Kona and disembarked passengers for the day on March 11.
