Kauai County expands vaccine eligibility to residents 16 and up

HONOLULU, Hawaii (HawaiiNewsNow) - Kauai is expanding vaccine eligibility to residents 16 and up, in a major step forward as the county prepares to rejoin the Safe Travels program for trans-Pacific visitors.

State figures show that about 36.5% of Kauai residents have had at least one COVID vaccine shot.

Officials hope to rapidly expand that with broader vaccination efforts islandwide. As part of their announcement Monday, Kauai officials also said new vaccine clinics would be opened at Safeways.

For more information on eligibility or to make an appointment, click here.

On April 5, a clinic for the one-dose Johnson & Johnson vaccine will be held at the War Memorial Convention Hall from 8 a.m. to 11 a.m.

Officials say if additional Johnson & Johnson vaccine is received, clinic hours will be extended to 1 p.m.

Their supply of the two-dose Pfizer and Moderna vaccines are also widely available, the county says.

Safeway stores in Lihue and Kapaa are already accepting appointments for vaccinations. This is in addition to administration sites at Longs locations around the island as well as area hospitals.

The vaccine expansion comes as Kauai prepares to re-join the Safe Travels pre-testing program on April 5. Visitors to the island however are not eligible to get a vaccine.

Meanwhile, the county continues to offer free COVID testing weekdays from 8 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. at the War Memorial Convention Hall.

On Oahu, vaccines are still limited to those 60 and up.