First Coronavirus Case Reported In Hawaii Not Linked To Out-Of-State Travel

A doctor reported that an Oahu woman working at Kualoha Ranch tested positive for COVID-19. Twenty-five people in contact with her have been tested.
By /
Reading time: 2 minutes.

A Kualoa Ranch employee with no history of out-of-state travel tested positive over the weekend for coronavirus, her doctor told Hawaii News Now.

It’s the state’s first apparent case of community spread ― a development that state officials have been dreading ― and comes as cities across the U.S. are instituting stricter guidelines to stem the outbreak.

The Kualoa Ranch employee’s physician, Dr. Scott Miscovich. said after learning of the positive result through a private lab, he immediately notified the Health Department about 6:45 p.m. Sunday.

HNN learned about the case later on Sunday night.

A worker at Kualoa Ranch on Oahu’s windward tested positive for coronavirus, believed to be the first case of community transmission in the state. 

All seven previously confirmed cases of coronavirus in Hawaii have been in patients who recently traveled to areas on the mainland or internationally with clusters of the infection.

But the Kualoa Ranch employee hadn’t done any recent traveling.

She went to a private testing site last week, and her results came in Sunday night. The patient is a younger woman who lives in Windward Oahu. She’s “doing better,” but has not fully recovered, and remains in isolation.

At least 25 other people with close contact to her have been tested.

Kualoa Ranch is closed Monday.

Click this link to read the original Hawaii News Now story.

Help Power Local, Nonprofit News.

Across the nation and in Hawaii, news organizations are downsizing and closing their doors due to the ever-rising costs of keeping local journalism alive and well.

While Civil Beat has grown year over year, still only 1% of our readers are donors, and we need your help now more than ever.

Make a gift today of any amount, and your donation will be matched dollar-for-dollar, up to $20,500, thanks to a generous group of Civil Beat donors.

Contribute

About the Author

Top Stories

Shootz! Zooming In On Another Busy Week In Hawaii David Croxford

Shootz! Zooming In On Another Busy Week In Hawaii

There’s No Going Back To Lahaina For This Family David Croxford/Civil Beat/2023

There’s No Going Back To Lahaina For This Family

Official Overseeing Hawaii School Facilities Is Out Amid Funding Controversy David Croxford/Civil Beat/2023

Official Overseeing Hawaii School Facilities Is Out Amid Funding Controversy

Hawaii Lobbyist Pleads Guilty To Illegal Drug Possession At Vet Clinic David Croxford/Civil Beat/2023

Hawaii Lobbyist Pleads Guilty To Illegal Drug Possession At Vet Clinic

2 HPD Officers Disciplined For Working An Unauthorized Side Job On The Clock Kevin Fujii/Civil Beat/2023

2 HPD Officers Disciplined For Working An Unauthorized Side Job On The Clock

1 Million Sea Urchins Have Now Been Deployed To Eat Kaneohe’s Invasive Seaweeds Grace Cajski/Civil Beat/2023

1 Million Sea Urchins Have Now Been Deployed To Eat Kaneohe’s Invasive Seaweeds

Your Car Might Be Keeping You Safe — At The Expense Of Your Privacy Getty Images/iStockphoto

Your Car Might Be Keeping You Safe — At The Expense Of Your Privacy