HMC Reports Two Coronavirus-Related Deaths

Virus. PC: Pixabay

Hilo Medical Center (HMC) reported two coronavirus-related deaths on Sunday afternoon, the first of which was also reported by Hawai‘i County Civil Defense Sunday morning.

Both deaths involved patients with “significant, underlying health issues,” according to a hospital update. A total of 18 patients remain hospitalized at HMC, including three in the intensive care unit.

An employee in the hospital’s Behavioral Health Unit tested positive for COVID-19 last week. The hospital said it subsequently tested its patients and staff at the facility, which took place on Friday, Aug. 28. As of Sunday, all patients and staff in the Behavioral Health Unit returned negative test results.

“We are assessing the possibility of restarting admissions to the unit,” HMC said in its release.

The Yukio Okutsu State Veterans Home, the site of one of the main virus clusters in East Hawai‘i, has now produced 37 positive COVID-19 test results, including 27 residents and 10 employees. Six people tied to the cluster are hospitalized at HMC.

According to the state Department of Health, the Big Island on Sunday surpassed Maui in total COVID-19 cases with 340. There are currently 166 active cases of the virus across Hawai‘i County, according to DOH statistics.