One additional resident of the Yukio Okutsu State Veterans Home has died, bringing the death toll from COVID-19 at the facility, and on the island, to 4.

The hospital has only 8 COVID-19 patients right now, with 2 in the ICU and 6 in the COVID Unit.  But some hospital employees have now tested positive.

Hilo Medical Center’s Director of Marketing and Public & Legislative Affairs, Elena Cabatu, provided this update:

• HILO MEDICAL CENTER UPDATE (as of 1:30 pm on Wednesday, September 2, 2020)
  • 8 total COVID-positive patients are hospitalized: 2 in ICU, 6 in COVID Unit
  • 4 total staff from various departments have notified us of their positive COVID test results. Each case is being managed by contact tracing, appropriate testing, and monitored by Employee Health. Employees are quarantining at home.
  • Self-test kits available are to employees caring for COVID patients.
    • Behavioral Health Update
      • Admissions to the unit is scheduled to restart this afternoon.
    • YUKIO OKUTSU STATE VETERANS HOME UPDATE (as of 1:30 pm on Wednesday, September 2, 2020)
      • A total of 46 residents and 12 employees have tested positive for COVID-19
        • 18 new residents and 2 new employees tested positive as a result of recent retesting
        • 0 residents are currently hospitalized at Hilo Medical Center
        • 41 total residents are currently cared for at the veterans home’s COVID designated area
        • 1 death today at the Yukio Okutsu State Veterans Home. 4 total deaths related to COVID-19 with significant, underlying health issues. We offer our sincerest condolences to the family and loved ones of these veterans who served our country.

There has been no update today from Kona Community Hospital or North Hawaii Community Hospital.