State health officials are investigating three clusters of COVID cases stemming from large gatherings in Honolulu over the past two weeks.
Officials are urging anyone who may have attended these events to get tested.
Health officials are looking into events at The District Nightclub and The Republik on both Dec. 10 and 11, and one on Dec. 11 at the Hilton Hawaiian Village involving the Adult Foster Homecare Association of Hawaii.
The DOH will begin reporting cluster investigations on its Disease Outbreak Control Division website. It investigates incidents with clusters involving at least three people.
State Health Director Doctor Elizabeth Char says despite reports suggesting the effects of Omicron are not as severe as other variants, people should not hesitate to get a booster shot and take precautions during this holiday season.
"Go get your booster shot. Get it right now. Don’t wait. Other than that, the things we know work still work," Char said. "So wear your masks, especially when you’re indoors and especially when you are with people who are outside your regular household bubble."
Char said only about 23% of Hawaiʻi’s population has gotten a booster shot, and more than 370,000 are still completely unvaccinated.
There were three COVID-19 deaths and more than 1,500 new cases reported Thursday — and over 1,800 new cases on Friday. The test positivity rate is now 9% statewide, but it is more than 11% on Oʻahu, as of Friday.
Information on vaccine and testing sites can be found at hawaiicovid19.com/vaccine.
