Two employees and 14 residents at Life Care Center of Hilo have tested positive for COVID-19 amid a second outbreak of the virus in the facility.
According to an update posted today on the facility’s website, an unvaccinated employee tested positive for the novel coronavirus on July 21.
One vaccinated resident tested positive for COVID-19 on July 24.
As of Aug. 5, there have been 14 resident cases, with one individual hospitalized. One employee has recovered.
“It is heartbreaking for our entire ohana — residents, associates and our huge extended family,” Leigh Atherton, vice president of corporate and community relations for parent company Life Care Centers of America, said in an email to the Tribune-Herald. “We are relieved that vaccination does reduce symptoms and the effects of COVID, but we are sad this horrible virus is impacting our facility again.”
In an outbreak last fall, prior to the availability of vaccines against the virus, 55 Life Care residents and 17 employees tested positive for COVID-19, and 10 residents died.
Approximately 95% of Life Care’s residents and 80% of employees have been vaccinated.
Ten of the 14 residents who have COVID-19 had been fully vaccinated, Atherton said.
According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, cases in fully vaccinated individuals, or “breakthrough cases,” are expected.
“COVID-19 vaccines are effective and are a critical tool to bring the pandemic under control,” the CDC states. “However, no vaccines are 100% effective at preventing illness in vaccinated people. There will still be a small percentage of fully vaccinated people who still get sick, are hospitalized or die from COVID-19.”
Atherton said residents and staff are being tested for COVID-19 at least twice a week.
Employees are wearing N95 respirators, promoting hand hygiene and following the facility’s floor management plan to stop the spread of the virus, she said.
Hawaii County Civil Defense Administrator Talmadge Magno told the Tribune-Herald he didn’t know of any other Big Island long-term care facility that has a COVID-19 outbreak.
Since Life Care Center had a previous outbreak, “they should be able to get these people through the virus and stop further spread from happening within the facility,” he said.
Email Stephanie Salmons at ssalmons@hawaiitribune-herald.com.