(BIVN) – There were 840 newly reported cases of COVID-19 in the State of Hawaiʻi on Monday, down from the 972 cases reported on Sunday. There were twenty-six (26) new cases identified on Hawaiʻi island today, up from the twenty-nine (29) cases reported the day before.

Health officials are currently monitoring 239 active cases on Hawaiʻi island. The test positivity rate in Hawaiʻi County over the last two-weeks is up to 3.3%. There has been a 14-day average of 22 new cases per day on the Big Island. On Oʻahu, there is now a high test positivity rate of 8.4%.

On the Health Department’s zip code area map showing reported COVID-19 cases with onset dates in the past 14 days, there are five (5) zip code areas on the Big Island showing over 10 cases, with one of those areas (Hilo) showing over 50 cases. Zip code areas not listed below have recorded less than 10 cases in 14 days.

• 96720 (Hilo) – 64 cases
• 96740 (Kona) – 40 cases
• 96743 (Kohala) – 11 cases
• 96749 (Puna) – 15 cases
• 96778 (Puna makai) – 20 cases

To date, the State of Hawaiʻi says 2,470,027 total COVID-19 vaccines have been administered. Health officials say 73.5% percent of the State population has been fully vaccinated. 78.8% of the population has initiated vaccination, and 22.1% has gotten a third dose. On Hawaiʻi island, 65% has completed vaccination.

Schatz: Schools Should Adopt “Test-To-Stay” Guidance

U.S. Senator Brian Schatz (D-Hawai‘i) on Monday called on the Hawai‘i Department of Education and the Hawai‘i Association of Independent Schools (HAIS) to adopt federal “test-to-stay” (TTS) guidance, “which allows students to stay in school if they are exposed to COVID-19, reducing time away from school and stopping learning loss.” The protocol was introduced by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

“With this new protocol, we can recoup thousands of days of learning,” said Senator Schatz. “We have to be as aggressive as possible in preventing learning loss and giving every student an opportunity to learn as much as they can.”

“TTS policies will allow students to stay in school even if they are exposed to COVID-19 thereby minimizing the number of days students would otherwise miss and helping to reduce the learning loss that can occur during traditional quarantine at home,” Schatz wrote in his letters to Hawai‘i Interim Superintendent Keith Hayashi and HAIS Executive Director Philip Bossert. “Initial data from case studies show that schools with TTS policies have similar transmission rates as non-TTS schools.”