Mauliola Pharmacy tester Geraldine Euplas prepares to administer a COVID-19 swab at the front of a line of vehicles in the Cameron Center parking lot Wednesday morning in Wailuku. The drive-thru COVID-19 testing site is open by appointment seven days a week, 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Monday to Friday and 8 a.m. to noon Saturday and Sunday. County and state officials are urging residents to get their booster shots and exercise caution during the holidays as COVID-19 cases spike across Hawaii, primarily on Oahu. — The Maui News / MATTHEW THAYER photo

State health officials say two of the most contagious COVID-19 strains are driving a renewed surge in cases in Hawaii, prompting the mayor to warn Maui County residents to prepare for the arrival of the omicron variant, which has yet to be reported on Neighbor Islands.

After months of relatively low case counts, Hawaii reported 797 new cases on Friday, none of which were due to a backlog that drove up cases earlier this week.

“These numbers reflect a disturbing trend,” Health Director Dr. Elizabeth Char said Friday. “The delta variant, the omicron variant, large gatherings, increased travel and holiday get-togethers appear to be fueling the surge.”

Of the new cases, 712 were on Oahu, 29 were on Hawaii island, 23 were on Maui, 14 were on Kauai and 19 were Hawaii residents diagnosed out of state.

As of Friday, the state was averaging 297 new daily cases and a test positivity rate of 4.2 percent, up from the 101 cases and 1.4 percent test positivity rate it saw as of Dec. 7, Gov. David Ige said during a news conference on Friday morning. He added that he was talking with the mayors “to discuss what type of protocols might be required going forward.”

Honolulu County is averaging 251 new cases a day and a test positivity rate of 5.4 percent, followed by Maui County at 18 cases and 1.9 percent, Hawaii County at 17 cases and 2.4 percent and Kauai County at 11 cases and 2.3 percent.

Maui County Mayor Michael Victorino said that no immediate rule changes were in the works, but that it would all depend on the local health care system.

“I have no plans for additional restrictions at this time, but that will change if our medical facilities are being taxed,” Victorino said in a news release Friday.

He also urged residents to be cautious, pointing out that while Maui County has the state’s lowest positivity rate at 1.9 percent, “it’s just a matter of time before omicron makes its way here.”

“I want everyone to enjoy a happy, healthy holiday season so please continue masking up indoors, keep your distance from others, avoid gatherings among different households and wash your hands frequently,” Victorino said. “Most importantly, please get vaccinated. If you received one dose of Moderna or Pfizer, get the second one. If it’s been six months since your second dose, get your booster right away.”

To date, 31 confirmed cases involving the omicron variant have been identified in Hawaii, and the state is performing genetic sequencing on another 17 cases that it suspects involve the omicron variant, according to Char.

Of the specimens collected up to Dec. 4, Char said that 2 percent of the cases are the omicron variant. Factoring in only cases on Oahu where it’s been found, that number rises to 5 percent, “but we know that that’s going up.”

The department genetically sequences samples of cases on a regular basis to spot potential variants. State Epidemiologist Dr. Sarah Kemble has said the department oversamples the Neighbor Islands.

While all cases have been on Oahu, the state Department of Health said it was reasonable to believe the variant has also reached the Neighbor Islands.

Char said while there are early indications that the omicron variant could be less virulent than other strains, its potential to spread quickly could still infect many people and overwhelm local hospitals. She said the state needs to keep its case counts down and urged people to get booster shots.

“When you get vaccinated, you develop something called neutralizing antibodies,” Char said. “And that over time, the level of neutralizing antibodies tends to wane. So it kind of drifts down over time. We know that that third dose or that booster dose is tremendously important because that takes your neutralizing antibodies and it shoots (those levels) very high, so it gives you very good protection. It does not make you invincible.”

The department recommends that people at least 18 years old who completed their initial series of the Pfizer or Moderna vaccine at least six months ago should get a booster now. People ages 16 and 17 who completed their initial Pfizer series at least six months ago can also get a booster.

Those who received a single dose of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine at least two months ago should also get a booster now, the department said.

An advisory panel to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recently recommended prioritizing Pfizer and Moderna over the Johnson & Johnson shot over concerns with a strange clotting problem that has caused nine confirmed deaths.

While all three brands of the vaccines are still available in Hawaii, Char said that the state hasn’t had discussions with local providers yet, as the CDC had just accepted the panel’s advice late Thursday.

With the omicron variant spreading, Hawaii has been trying to take preventative measures, such as increasing testing availability and making different types of tests available, including the PCR nasal tests, rapid antigen tests and home test kits, Char said. Hawaii has been unable to procure the number of home test kits it was hoping for because “everybody has been trying to get the same things,” Char pointed out.

The recent spike in cases also pushed the Hawaii National Guard to reestablish its Joint Task Force that supported the COVID-19 response and cancel a ceremony marking a drawdown of the task force. Maj. Gen. Kenneth Hara, who made the decision anticipating the support that would be needed for testing, contact tracing and vaccinations, said that the Hawaii National Guard “must be responsive, and to do so we must anticipate needs.”

“We must organize again and resource ourselves to meet the needs of the counties and the state,” Hara said in a news release Friday.

For more information on COVID-19 testing and vaccinations, visit hawaiicovid19.com or mauinuistrong.info.

* Colleen Uechi can be reached at cuechi@mauinews.com.