A Hawaii Community Correctional Center inmate has tested positive for COVID-19, the Department of Public Safety reported Sunday.
The Department of Health confirmed the positive test among a newly admitted inmate at the Hilo correctional center. The Department of Public Safety said it was notified Saturday that the new inmate had came in contact with someone prior to entry who was positive for COVID-19.
The inmate was medically isolated while the department awaited the results of confirmatory testing. The Department of Health is currently conducting contact tracing.
A total of 55 people have been tested at the facility, which as of Sept. 7 had 290 inmates. Just one inmate has been tested at Kulani Correctional Facility. That person received a negative result.
“The Hawaii Community Correctional Center immediately enacted their pandemic protocol to contain this one case. All of the credit goes to the HCCC security and medical staff who have worked very hard to safeguard the staff and inmates and keep the virus from spreading within the facility,” said Maria Cook, deputy director for Administration/acting director.
Meanwhile, the department said that efforts to contain the outbreak at the Oahu Community Correctional Center are working. To date 419 people have tested positive for the novel coronavirus, including 107 staff.
During the most recent mass testing facility, only three of 33 inmates tested were positive for the novel coronavirus. There are currently no inmates hospitalized and 290 have recovered. Of the 54 staff tests results received, one was positive.
Also Sunday, state health officials reported 77 new cases of COVID-19, bringing the statewide total case count to 11,403.
Oahu reported 71 new cases, bringing the state’s most populous island’s case count to 10,289, while Hawaii Island reported five new cases, increasing the island’s total case count to 644 since Feb. 28, according to the Hawaii COVID-19 Joint Information Center. Maui County’s case count increased by one to 385.
The number of residents who have tested positive while out of the state held steady at 28 as did Kauai County’s total case count at 57.
Of the known cases in Hawaii to date, some 6,644 of those cases are still considered active. That includes 191 of the known cases on Hawaii Island.
Statewide, 730 COVID-19 patients have required hospitalization, including 33 on Hawaii Island, according to the center’s noon update. Civil Defense said Sunday that 16 people remained hospitalized.
On Sunday, Hawaii County Civil Defense reported a 22nd coronavirus-related death at the Yukio Okutsu State Veterans Home bringing the island’s death toll to 24.
“To support efforts at the Veterans Home, a nineteen person team from the Veterans Administration is at the facility to support operations. A grateful thank you to the Veterans Administration for their assistance in addressing the issues at the Veterans Home,” Civil Defense said.
The state Sunday confirmed one death on Big Island, listing the island’s death toll at 15. Officials previously said they must confirm medical records before listing a death.
Of the 120 coronavirus-related deaths reported among Hawaii residents to date, 95 were on Oahu, nine were on Maui, 15 were on Hawaii Island, and one was a Kauai resident receiving treatment in Arizona at the time he died.
