State identifies COVID clusters on Oahu tied to indoor concert, wedding reception

HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) - The state Department of Health on Thursday released a new report shedding light on two recent COVID cluster investigations in July, one of which involved an indoor concert and the other a wedding reception.

The state said 23 COVID cases were associated with a concert at an Oahu bar. Sixteen of the cases were among employees, band members and concert attendees. Only four of those who tested positive were fully vaccinated.

Seven other household members also tested positive. None of those individuals was vaccinated.

The state said not only was the concert held indoors in a crowded setting, but the band members performed while sick — and none of them was vaccinated.

This cluster has also been linked to two other clusters, including another concert and a workplace.

Another cluster highlighted in the report was associated with a wedding reception at an indoor banquet hall on Oahu.

Of the 28 people who attended, 12 tested positive for COVID. Four of those people were fully vaccinated.

The other five positive cases in the cluster were among household members.

One COVID fatality was linked to the reception, health officials said, and that person was unvaccinated.

Most of the people who tested positive experienced mild to moderate symptoms.

The state added a member of the wedding party and that person’s spouse both had COVID symptoms and exposed the bride and groom during the wedding rehearsal, which took place at the same venue.

One person, who later tested positive, reported traveling to Las Vegas before the rehearsal but did not attend the wedding or reception after developing symptoms.

Attendees said there was a false sense of security since everyone knew each other, so mask wearing was inconsistent and there was little social distancing.

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