Life Care Center reports additional COVID cases

Kelsey Walling/Tribune-Herald Messages of love and support are written on a poster outside the Life Care Center in Hilo on Wednesday, Oct. 7, 2020.
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Life Care Center of Hilo reported Tuesday that the total number of residents who have tested positive for COVID-19 has risen to 51.

The outbreak at the care home has ballooned during the past week, and also has affected 16 employees.

So far, 43 resident cases are still active at the facility, with three being treated at Hilo Medical Center. Four employees have fully recovered.

Three residents have died at the facility, although no new deaths have been reported there since Thursday.

According to a statement on the Life Care Center website, the infection rate has slowed since it peaked last week, when 14 new resident cases were reported Thursday.

Since Friday, only six new resident cases have been reported, although five additional employee cases were reported Saturday.

The facility is continuing twice-weekly testing.

As of last week, there were 193 patients and more than 200 employees in the facility.

At Hilo Medical Center, there were six hospitalized COVID-19 patients by Tuesday afternoon — one in intensive care, four in the COVID unit and one in the OB unit.

On Tuesday, 21 new coronavirus cases were reported on the Big Island, bringing the island’s total to 974. Statewide, 62 new cases were reported for a total of 13,575, while four more deaths statewide were also reported for a total death toll of 173.