Hawaii Island COVID-19 case count tops 500
Sunday marked the 13th consecutive day of a double-digit increase in the number of new COVID-19 cases as Hawaii Island’s total case count surpassed 500.
A new death was also reported at Yukio Okutsu State Veterans Home in Hilo.
Fourteen new cases of the novel coronavirus were reported in Hawaii County Sunday bringing the island’s total case count to 506 since Feb. 28, according to the Hawaii COVID-19 Joint Information Center. Since Aug. 25, the island’s case count has increased 376 cases — or 289% — since Aug. 25.
The 14 cases on Hawaii Island were among 164 new cases reported across the state on Sunday. Maui County reported three new cases and Oahu reported 146.
The state’s most populous island, Oahu, now has a total case count of 8,911 while Maui County’s rose to 354. Kauai County’s tally increase to 58 due to one test from Oahu being “re-categorized” to the island. To date, 26 residents have also tested positive while out of the state.
Of the 9,855 cases identified in Hawaii since Feb. 28, some 6,864 of those cases are still considered active. That includes 282 of the known cases on Hawaii Island.
Statewide, 597 COVID-19 patients have required hospitalization, including 21 on Hawaii Island, according to the center’s noon update.
The center also reported one new coronavirus-related death on Oahu, but provided no additional details.
Of the 85 deaths reported among Hawaii residents, 73 were on Oahu, eight were on Maui, three were on Hawaii Island, and one was a Kauai resident receiving treatment in Arizona at the time he died.
On Sunday, Hilo Medical Center reported a new death at the Yukio Okutsu State Veterans Home in Hilo, bringing the total to seven. However, it is unclear if the sixth death was, in fact, COVID-related.
On Saturday, Avalon Healthcare, the managing company running the veterans home operations, revised the death toll noting that a PCR test came back negative after a rapid test had returned positive for the novel coronavirus.
The Hawaii COVID-19 Joint Information Center has yet to report Hawaii Island’s latest three deaths. The department said it must confirm the death through a verification process before releasing the information. If confirmed, the statewide death toll will stand at 88.
