Molokai clusters grow to 24 cases

Health officials say two clusters are linked, more cases expected

Two dozen cases among two related clusters have been identified on Molokai, and officials anticipate the number of cases will grow due to wider community spread.

"Cluster size is expected to increase -- and it has," state Department of Health spokesman Brooks Baehr told The Maui News on Thursday.

The increase since last week is significant because Molokai, a rural island with about 7,000 people, only had 25 cases as of late January. Up until late August, it had only seen two cases.

A Molokai hospital construction cluster reported last week with 12 cases had grown to 19 cases as of Thursday, Baehr said.

Only six of those 19 cases are among hospital site construction workers, he added. Considered part of the cluster, the other 13 cases comprise contacts or household contacts of construction workers.

A Molokai restaurant cluster of five cases has been tied to the hospital construction cluster, according to Baehr.

"Cases reported mask use at the work site, but there is growing evidence that the risk of exposure might have been in social settings," the state's weekly cluster report said.

The report, which said DOH is also investigating a cluster of 26 cases tied to an Oahu construction site, highlighted the COVID-19 risks that construction workers often face.

Classified as essential workers, they are exempt from Safe Travels quarantine requirements designed to prevent COVID-19 transmission.

The workers often travel via plane to remote locations and via crowded vehicles to and from work sites.

"Their occupations can require sustained physical exertion and working in uncomfortable environments including enclosed spaces with poor ventilation and tight spaces with limited ability to physically distance," the report said.

A construction worker who commuted to Molokai and tested positive for COVID-19 on May 10 was the first case identified with the hospital construction cluster, according to the report.

The hospital and three construction companies were notified, and employee screening and testing was initiated, it added.

Five of the 16 crew members then tested positive, which is an "attack rate" of 31 percent, the report said. Attack rates refer to the proportion of people who get sick after an exposure, according to the World Health Organization.

Queen's Health Systems, which oversees Molokai General Hospital, said it was informed May 11 that a Maui-based contractor who had been working in the hospital had tested positive for COVID-19.

The crew was working in the dining room wing, which was separated and sealed off from staff and patient care areas, according to hospital officials. The air handling system was disconnected and there was no air exchange between the work area and any part of the hospital.

One hospital employee with exposure to the construction workers tested positive, and 10 close contacts have tested positive or have symptoms consistent with COVID-19, according to the report.

As cases connected to the clusters grow, at least one business on Molokai has announced a COVID-related closure in recent days. Hiro's Ohana Grill closed May 12 when it was notified that one of its employees tested positive for COVID-19. The restaurant has since posted on Facebook that two other positive cases have emerged.

DOH did not specify whether the restaurant was connected to the cluster.

State Rep. Lynn DeCoite of Molokai said Thursday that none of the recent cases have emerged in people who are vaccinated. She urged Molokai residents to get the vaccine.

"If you haven't or you choose not to, please continue to wear your mask, sanitize, keep your distance," DeCoite said.

She also encouraged residents to get reliable information, which can be accessed directly from Molokai General Hospital, from mauinuistrong .info or from her office.

* Kehaulani Cerizo can be reached at kcerizo@mauinews.com.