COVID-19 Update & Reminders – August 13, 2021

Aloha Saint Mark Parents,

I hope and pray you all are doing well.  I’m writing with the latest COVID-19 updates.

COMMUNITY CONDITIONS 
Unfortunately, the current numbers (which are available on the Hawaii Data Collaborative) have sharply increased in the past two weeks.

Current Numbers
The 7-day state average of reported daily new cases is 511 (346 on O`ahu) and the 7-day state average of the positivity rate is 7.3% (8.0% on O`ahu).

August 5 Numbers
The 7-day state average of reported daily new cases is 381 (256 on O`ahu) and the 7-day state average of the positivity rate is 5.4% (6.9% on O`ahu).

May 27 Numbers (Last week of 2020-21 School Year)
The 7-day state average of reported daily new cases is 50 (39 on O`ahu) and the 7-day state average of the positivity rate is 1.0% (1.5% on O`ahu).

GOOD NEWS (Kindergartners Back & No On-Campus Spread)
We happily welcomed the kindergartners back to campus this past Monday (following their 10 day quarantine) and are proud to share that there was no evidence of any on-campus spread in kindergarten or anywhere else on our campus.  As I explained last week, this is comforting but not surprising news.  Preventing the on-campus transmission of COVID-19 when it does make its way onto our campus (and it will continue to do so) is exactly why we so rigorously insist on the strict adherence to our safety protocols.

NOT SO GOOD NEWS (Record Number of New Cases)
A record 1,167 new cases were reported today with a 3-day average of 729 new cases per day.  The Department of Health Director, Dr. Libby Char, shared in today’s press conference that there is “wide spread community transmission” of COVID-19 in Hawaii and that “we are in a crisis…trying to avoid a disaster.”  Dr. Char asserted that the community transmission is largely due to individuals not wearing masks indoors and to individuals spreading it in the workplace who think they are just sick when they actually have COVID-19.

This dramatic increase in the number of positive COVID-19 cases is not restricted to just Hawaii.  In fact, according the to Center for Disease Control and Prevention, since July 1 there has been a 700% increase in the week-over-week average COVID-19 infections in the United States.  According to the USA Today’s analysis of Johns Hopkins data, the United States reported more COVID-19 cases in the first 12 days of August than it did in the entire month of July.  As such, Dr. Char is urging Hawaii residents to refrain from any non-essential travel at this time.

PLEASE DO YOUR PART (Be Safe This Weekend)
Our hope and prayer is that our families and other community members will collectively take the appropriate preventative actions necessary to decrease this rapid spread and keep COVID-19 off our campus.  Please be safe this weekend and among other measures do the following:
(1) Stay Home if Unwell
(2) Wash Hands Often
(3) Always Wear a Mask (when out of the house or around any non-household members)
(4) Get Vaccinated

PLEASE GET VACCINATED!
With these deteriorating community conditions, Saint Mark emphatically encourages all those eligible to get the COVID-19 vaccine to please do so!  We understand that getting vaccinated is our best chance of staying safe, getting Hawai`i’s kids and teachers fully back-to-school and resuming more normal/traditional school activities.

QUARANTINING COHORTS
With the increasing amount of COVID in our community, it is important that our families understand that when we do have COVID-19 positive cases on campus and it is determined that that individual was in close contact with a cohort, that cohort will be sent home for 10 days of quarantining.

Mahalo for your continued patience and commitment as we work to keep our students safely on campus.

Mahalo, Blessings and Stay Safe this Weekend,

David Gaudi
Head of School