No new COVID-19 cases were reported in Hawaii County on Wednesday as the number of cases associated with two Kona McDonald’s restaurants held steady at a dozen, state health officials reported.
“These (12) individuals are all in isolation/quarantine, and the department is establishing appropriate controls to prevent any additional spread,” Health Director Bruce Anderson said during Tuesday’s state COVID-19 briefing streamed online.
All of the contacts of the 12 individuals have been identified, he said, noting the Department of Health “is still following up on some of those.” He did not respond to a question regarding pending test results connected to the cluster.
The seven staff worked at McDonald’s locations at Kona Commons and inside the Kona Walmart, which remain closed. Five family members who tested positive were exposed to two staff members.
“Any close contacts are being isolated and quarantined for all 12 cases,” Anderson said, also noting that a figure of 14 cases associated the restaurant and reported by various media outlets on Tuesday was incorrect due to a counting error.
The health director, however, did not address a question submitted twice by West Hawaii Today regarding the public’s concern over interacting with staff who were not wearing personal protective equipment during the exchange of money over the past few weeks.
On Tuesday, state health officials said there was no “significant risk” to the public after the 12 cases were announced. According to the Department of Health, the Food and Drug Administration has thus far found no evidence of food or food packaging being associated with transmission of COVID-19.
Meanwhile Wednesday, the state recorded 13 new positive COVID-19 cases on Oahu and Maui. No new cases were reported on Hawaii Island, leaving the county’s total at 41.
All of the new positive COVID-19 cases reported Wednesday on Oahu and Maui were among adult Hawaii residents, Anderson said. The origin of six of the cases was travel-related, while six were community spread and one was unknown.
Since Feb. 28, 530 positive COVID-19 cases have been reported across the state. Of those cases, 359 have recovered and been released from isolation. Nine people have died, including six on Oahu and three on Maui.
In all, 20,535 people have been tested by state and private labs with 2.6% of tests returning positive.
“Our rate of positive testing is probably one of the lowest in the county, if not the lowest, which suggests that the disease is not widespread here,” Anderson said, “nevertheless we are seeing some evidence of limited community spread and a number of clusters of illness, which, of course, are concerning.”