Big Island marks fifth coronavirus-related death, adds 17 new cases

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Two new coronavirus-related deaths and 17 new cases of COVID-19 were reported Thursday on Hawaii Island.

Hawaii County Civil Defense reported the fourth COVID-related death while Hilo Medical Center reported the fifth at the Yukio Okutsu State Veterans Home in Hilo. The state Department of Health meanwhile reported 17 new cases of the novel coronavirus on the island, bringing the total case count to 435 since Feb. 28.

The 17 new Hawaii Island cases were among 211 new cases of COVID-19 reported across the state Thursday, according to the Hawaii COVID-19 Joint Information Center.

Oahu reported 190 new cases, bringing the state’s most populous island’s total count to 8,339 while Maui County reported an additional four cases, raising its count to 346. Kauai County’s tally held steady at 57. To date, 25 residents have also tested positive while out of the state.

Of the 9,202 cases identified since Feb. 28, some 6,424 of those cases are still considered active. That includes 230 of the known cases on the Big Island.

Statewide, 573 or 17% of COVID-19 patients have required hospitalization, including 16 on Hawaii Island, according to the center’s noon update.

The center also reported one new coronavirus-related death on Oahu. The victim was a man between the ages of 50 and 59 years old who had been hospitalized and suffered underlying medical conditions.

Of the 79 deaths reported among Hawaii residents, 67 were on Oahu, eight were on Maui, three were on Hawaii Island, and one was a Kauai resident receiving treatment in Arizona at the time he died.

The center did not report a fourth or fifth death on Hawaii Island on Thursday though Hawaii County Civil Defense did. The department said it must confirm the death through a verification process before releasing the information.