Hawaii Island COVID-19 case count nears 600

State health officials reported 66 new cases of COVID-19 on Tuesday, including six new cases on Hawaii Island.

With the new cases, the statewide tally increased to 10,844 while Hawaii Island’s total case count reached 599, according to the Hawaii COVID-19 Joint Information Center.

Oahu reported 59 new cases, bringing the state’s most populous island’s case count to 9,782. The number of residents who have tested positive while out of the state rose to 27. Meanwhile, Maui County’s total held steady at 378 as did Kauai County’s at 58.

Of the known cases in Hawaii to date, some 6,959 of those cases are still considered active. That includes 237 of the known cases on Hawaii Island.

Statewide, 654 COVID-19 patients have required hospitalization, including 26 on Hawaii Island, according to the center’s noon update.

The center also reported one new coronavirus-related death on Tuesday. The victim was an Oahu resident between the ages of 60 and 69 who had underlying health conditions and had been hospitalized.

Of the 100 deaths reported among Hawaii residents, 87 were on Oahu, nine were on Maui, three were on Hawaii Island, and one was a Kauai resident receiving treatment in Arizona at the time he died.

The state said earlier this month it has yet to include the latest Hawaii Island deaths reported by Yukio Okutsu Veterans State Home’s Avalon Healthcare because it is awaiting medical records from the facility. The facility reported one new deaths on Monday bringing the total number of deaths associated with the home to 13.

Meanwhile, Hilo Medical Center on Monday said a patient died from COVID-19. The death is unrelated to the veterans home.

Also Tuesday, the center announced that Lt. Gov. Josh Green and two deputy sheriffs remain the only three positive COVID-19 cases in the Lieutenant Governor’s Office. All 11 other employees have tested negative. Additionally, Green’s wife and two children have tested negative.

All will remain in quarantine until cleared by DOH investigators, the center said.