COVID-19 case count increases to 37

Health officials confirmed Friday that two of the 11 new COVID-19 cases in the state had no recent travel history, indicating that the virus is now being transmitted via community members.

Department of Health Director Bruce Anderson said during a conference call that this is the first time that a case has been confirmed in someone with no known exposure to someone who has traveled. He added that, with evidence of community transmission, he expects case numbers in the state to continue to rise.

The remaining nine new COVID-19 cases were from people with recent travel history, including one child.

As of Friday at noon, there were a total of 37 confirmed COVID-19 cases in the state. There remains only one confirmed case on the Big Island.