Officials report 12 new COVID-19 cases, two deaths on Hawaii Island

Two coronavirus-related deaths and 12 new COVID-19 cases were reported Saturday on Hawaii Island, according to county and state officials.

Hawaii County Civil Defense reported the deaths in its Saturday morning update while the Department of Health reported the new cases in its noon briefing. Hawaii Island has now seen 40 coronavirus-related deaths and 1,038 COVID-19 cases since Feb. 28.

The new Hawaii Island cases were among 69 positive results announced by the Hawaii COVID-19 Joint Information Center bringing the statewide tally to 13,949. Oahu reported 81 new cases while two residents were diagnosed while outside the state.

As of noon Saturday, 2,954 of those known cases were considered active, including 271 cases on Hawaii Island. An active case is defined as an individual who has tested positive for the coronavirus and is being monitored by the Department of Health.

According to the Department of Health, 238 cases have onset dates within 28 days in the Kailua-Kona area and 136 cases have onset dates within the past 28 days in the Hilo area.

Free drive-through COVID-19 testing will be offered today in Pahoa and Saturday in Ka‘u. Testing will be held from 8 a.m. to noon today at Pahoa District Park and from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday at Kahuku Park in the Hawaiian Ocean View Estates subdivision, according to Hawaii County Civil Defense.

Statewide, 1,001 COVID-19 patients have required hospitalization, including 55 on Hawaii Island, according to the center’s noon update.

The state reported one new coronavirus-related death on Thursday among an Oahu resident.

Of the 186 coronavirus-related deaths confirmed and reported to date among Hawaii residents to date, 149 were on Oahu, 18 were on Maui, 18 were on Hawaii Island, and one was a Kauai resident receiving treatment in Arizona at the time he died.

The state has yet to confirm the last 21 coronavirus-related deaths reported Hawaii Island. Twenty-seven of the deaths were among residents of the Yukio Okutsu State Veterans Home in Hilo and another seven died at Hilo Medical Center, four at Life Care Center of Hilo and two at Kona Community Hospital.