Three Big Island virus clusters investigated

Kelsey Walling/Tribune-Herald Noriko Frost gets a Band-Aid after receiving the first dose of the Pfizer vaccine Thursday at The Arc of Hilo.
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Three COVID-19 clusters have been investigated on the Big Island in the past 14 days, according to a weekly cluster report issued Thursday by the state Department of Health.

One cluster in an educational setting resulted in 37 cases. Another cluster related to a social gathering resulted in 12 cases, and a cluster related to a place of worship resulted in eight cases.

The report does not identify where the clusters were located.

However, according to data from the DOH, 26 cases have been reported in Hilo over the past 14 days, and 21 have been reported in Kailua-Kona during the same time period.

Four new COVID-19 cases were reported Thursday on the Big Island.

As of Thursday, Hawaii County had a 0.7% test positivity rate, the lowest in the state, compared to positivity rates of 1.4% statewide, 1.9% in the City and County of Honolulu and Kauai County, and 1.7% in Maui County.

Statewide, 122 new cases were reported Thursday by the DOH.

According to the DOH, 1,191,418 vaccine doses have been administered in Hawaii as of Thursday, up 9,509 from the prior day.

Of those, 907,454 doses have been administered by the DOH and hospitals statewide; 145,456 have been administered through federal programs for nursing homes and long-term care facilities, and 138,571 have been administered by federal agencies like the U.S. Department of Defense.

In Hawaii County, 132,858 vaccine doses have been given.

According to the DOH, 39% of the county’s population have received at least one dose, while 28.4% have completed a vaccination series.

Vaccines from Pfizer and Moderna require two doses three and four weeks apart, respectively, while Johnson &Johnson offers a single-dose inoculation.

Hilo Medical Center has administered more than 36,000 doses of the Pfizer vaccine since Dec. 23.

The hospital’s last mass vaccination clinic will be May 15, after which all vaccination efforts will be shifted to HMC’s vaccination clinic at the Arc of Hilo, open from 8 a.m.-4 p.m. weekdays.

Queen’s North Hawaii Community Hospital in Waimea will offer vaccinations for those 16 and older on a first-come, first-serve basis from 4-6 p.m. Wednesday, May 5, at the hospital’s vaccination clinic on the south side of its campus.

No appointment is necessary.

Email Stephanie Salmons at ssalmons@hawaiitribune-herald.com.