63 more virus cases at state’s largest prison
HONOLULU — A coronavirus outbreak at Hawaii’s largest prison continues to multiply.
The state Department of Public Safety said Saturday that an additional 55 inmates and eight employees have tested positive for the coronavirus at the Halawa Correctional Facility. The total number of active cases in the prison now encompasses 325 inmates and 43 staffers.
The Department of Public Safety had announced a lockdown and other measures to try to control the outbreak, which initially infected three inmates and 10 staffers last week.
The outbreak at Halawa is the third major correctional facility in the state to face coronavirus issues since the pandemic began. The Oahu Community Correctional Center has had 450 inmates test positive for COVID-19, and the Waiawa Community Correctional Center in Waipahu has reported 213 cases among inmates.
More than 600 inmates from Hawaii have tested positive for the virus at a privately owned prison in Arizona.
The state public safety agency said there were still three ongoing cases at the Oahu Community Correctional Center, six at the Waipahu correctional center and four at the private prison in Arizona as of Saturday.
Families receive 100 pounds of food at event
HONOLULU — About 3,300 families in Hawaii each received nearly 100 pounds of food during a charity event at Aloha Stadium in Honolulu.
The Great Aloha Run event on Friday raised about $385,000 in total, with $185,000 raised privately and about $200,000 coming from federal coronavirus relief funds.
Enough food was available for 3,500 families, said Carole Kai, the event founder. The leftover food was scheduled to be given out on in Waianae, Oahu.
The food packages distributed included whole turkeys, hamburgers, spare ribs, eggs, vegetables and a variety of other items.
There have been 19,859 new confirmed cases of the virus in the state as of Saturday.
The number of infections is thought to be far higher because many people have not been tested, and studies suggest people can be infected with the virus without feeling sick.
Aloha Stadium announced Thursday it would stop scheduling new events at the stadium because of complications spurred from the virus and budgetary issues.
Stadium officials will honor all pre-scheduled events and those that take place in its parking lot.
For most people, the new coronavirus causes mild or moderate symptoms, such as fever and cough that clear up in two to three weeks. For some — especially older adults and people with existing health problems — it can cause more severe illness, including pneumonia, and death.