Life Care Center of Hilo on Friday reported a third COVID-related death at the facility, bringing the total number of Big Island deaths attributed to the virus to 37.
“We’re heartbroken by this new loss and continue to mourn the loss of all three residents who have died from COVID-19,” Executive Director Mark Mann wrote in an update to the Life Care Center website Friday afternoon.
An outbreak at Yukio Okutsu State Veterans Home has claimed the lives of 27 residents; six deaths, unrelated to outbreaks at two long-term care facilities in Hilo, have occurred at Hilo Medical Center; and one death has been reported at Kona Community Hospital.
As of Friday, 14 more Life Care residents and one additional employee have tested positive for the novel coronavirus, bringing the case counts there to 46 and 11, respectively.
Four Life Care residents are being treated at HMC, 37 are receiving care at the facility, one resident is receiving treatment at another facility, and one resident was discharged home from the hospital, according to the update.
Four employees have so far recovered.
The growing number of cases at the long-term care facility comes as Hawaii Island tallied 45 new COVID-19 cases on Friday, its largest one-day total.
The state Department of Health on Friday reported 155 new cases statewide and the deaths of two Oahu residents.
No new COVID-19 cases were discovered at the Hilo veterans home, according to an update provided by HMC on Friday. Seventy-one residents and 35 employees had tested positive during an outbreak that began there in late August.
Surveillance testing for residents and employees is ongoing.
There are currently six COVID-positive patients hospitalized at Hilo Medical Center, include one in the hospital’s intensive care unit and five in its COVID unit.
