DOH Reports 3 New COVID-19-Related Deaths, 221 New Cases

The Hawai‘i Department of Health reported 221 new cases of COVID-19 on Saturday, including three new fatalities, pushing the death toll over 84. The statewide total of cases since the pandemic began is 9,693.

A total of 24 new cases were reported on the Big Island Saturday, which is moving rapidly toward the 500 case mark since the pandemic began. According to DOH statistics, 260 cases remain active on the Big Island. The state’s virus tracker, which maps cases by district across all counties, can be accessed here.

With six deaths reported at Yukio Okutsu State Veterans Home in Hilo, US Sen. Brian Schatz (D-Hawai‘i) said his staff is working with state and local officials to make sure they utilize all the federal help that’s available.

“The outbreak we are seeing at Yukio Okutsu State Veterans Home is heartbreaking,” Schatz said.

The Department of Veterans Affairs is capable of doing even more, but the senator said “we cannot be shy about asking them for help.”

“We also need to focus on infection control best practices to contain this outbreak,” he stated Saturday. “The state should ask VA to share infection control specialists, provide additional testing, and continue to share PPE to get this under control. Residents of senior homes are some of the most vulnerable to COVID-19. That’s why it is also absolutely critical that the facility follows infection control guidelines and that the state dramatically expands testing at these facilities to continue to protect these vulnerable residents and their care workers.”

The county-by-county case count is as follows:

• Honolulu: 8,765
• Hawai‘i: 493
• Maui: 352
• Kaua‘i: 57
• Pending: 0
• Out-of-State Diagnoses: 26

To date, 592 people have been hospitalized as a result of COVID-19 infection, while 84 have died. A total of 2,931 individuals have been released from isolation and are considered recovered.