Kamehameha Schools Student Not Active COVID-19 Case

Kamehameha Schools Logo. PC: KSBE.edu

A Kamehameha Schools student who tested positive for COVID-19 was no longer an active case when he or she returned to school Wednesday, Hawai‘i County Civil Defense Agency reported Thursday.

School officials confirmed the Kea‘au campus went into lockdown on Wednesday after a high school student there tested positive for coronavirus, Big Island Now first reported Wednesday night. On Thursday morning, Civil Defense reported the case at the school was not an active case.

“The student completed all the Department of Health isolation requirements on Aug. 7 and is symptom-free,” Civil Defense stated in its daily COVID-19 morning email update. “Kamehameha Schools should be commended for their abundance of caution and care for their students and faculty.”

Civil Defense officials clarified the student was symptomatic in July, however, the student was no longer infectious when he or she returned to school.

The student did obtain a COVID-19 test earlier this week that was revealed to be positive on Wednesday. On Thursday, Dr. Kaohimanu Akiona, a member of Premier Medical Group Hawai‘i, explained that an individual who recovers from coronavirus and is no longer symptomatic will continue to shed particles of the virus from their system for up to three months.

During that time, Akiona added, an individual may test positive for COVID-19 despite no longer being infectious. Kamehameha Schools Hawai‘i will transition to distance learning for at least the rest of August as a precautionary measure.

After learning about the positive test, school officials enforced a lockdown during first period, which was extended campus-wide to students at the elementary, intermediate, and high school levels. KS Hawai‘i administrators then began dismissing students for the day.

There are currently 13 active COVID-19 cases on the Big Island being monitored by the Hawai‘i Department of Health. There are no hospitalizations at this time.