Lihue – Department of Health (DOH)’s Kauai District Health Department conducted a July Public Health Emergency Response Survey to assess community perceptions of Kauai’s COVID-19 response efforts and current level of emergency preparedness. Released the preliminary report of the Community Assessment (CASPER) study. .

“The results of this survey show that Kauai residents continue to feel the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic in their daily lives and are taking steps to protect themselves with vaccinations and masking. said Dr. Janet Bereman of Kauai. A district health officer said, “We are pleased that residents have the tools they need to protect themselves and have a positive perception of the local response.”

9% of Kauai households are very or somewhat concerned about a family member getting sick with COVID-19. This remains unchanged from the level of concern reported in the 2020 CASPER survey. The percentage of households experiencing pandemic-related emotional distress rose slightly from 32% in 2020 to 36% in 2022.

The proportion of households that are very or somewhat concerned about their ability to pay their rent or mortgage next month has fallen from 34% in 2020 to 17% in 2022, and 72% have stable income or have previously reported to be slightly higher than Pandemic.

Consistent with ongoing concerns about COVID-19 transmission, 83% of Kauai households report that wearing masks indoors outside of their homes is very or somewhat important doing. 85% of households report that at least some or all household members are vaccinated.

With a goal of completing 210 household interviews, 176 interviews were completed with a completion rate of 83.8%.

Residents were asked to rate Kauai’s local response to the pandemic. Using a scale of 1 to 5, 1 being ‘very bad’ and 5 being ‘very good’. The lowest ratings (3.85) were for case investigation and contact tracing. This scale also had the highest percentage of ‘don’t know’ responses from those who had no direct experience with these functions. Test availability, public information, and vaccine deployment and availability were all rated highly at 4.45, 4.44, and 4.42, respectively.

The final report of the CASPER study analyzes the emergency preparedness trends of Kauai residents across the five CASPER studies conducted from 2017 to 2022.

“We are extremely grateful for the participation of Kauai residents in this islandwide research effort that will help the Kauai District Health Department better meet the needs of the community.

The CASPER research methodology was developed by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to rapidly assess community health and other resource needs after a disaster. The research team visited select households in 30 census tracts on Kauai from July 26-30. The investigative team consisted of Kauai Medical Reserve Corps and his DOH staff assisted by the American Red Cross.

This was the fifth CASPER survey conducted by the Department of Health on Kauai. See the 2022 interim report and previous CASPER research reports at https://health.hawaii.gov/kauai/.

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PDF: Kauai District Health Department Survey Finds Majority Still Concerned About COVID-19