COVID-19 epidemic erupts at Hilo care facility for the elderly

COVID-19 epidemic erupts at Hilo care facility for the elderly

The Hawaii Department of Health (DOH) has confirmed a COVID-19 outbreak at the Hilo Benioff Medical Center's nursing home. As of the last week, ten residents and five staff members have tested positive for the virus.

The virus is believed to have entered the facility via a visitor. All residents are vaccinated against COVID-19, and they are currently experiencing mild symptoms such as nasal congestion and cough. No residents have needed to be transferred to the acute hospital for treatment.

Staff at the nursing home wear masks while working, and testing will continue twice a week to monitor both staff and patients. The first positive COVID test result for a resident was received on Aug. 7.

According to Tim Brown, a local infectious diseases expert, there were hints of COVID having peaked last week, with a slowdown to come. However, the start of the school year could change that as students return, potentially boosting the numbers of cases instead.

The DOH is transitioning to a new online platform for its dashboards, making public data on the number of COVID patients hospitalized unavailable since June 11. However, the available search results indicate that the Hilo Benioff Medical Center’s nursing home is not the only facility affected. There is no specific information about how many other nursing homes in Hawaii have experienced COVID-19 outbreaks in addition to this one.

The Hawaii Department of Health maintains COVID-19 data dashboards, including cluster information in long-term care facilities, which might have detailed data about other nursing homes’ outbreaks. The CDC tracks respiratory illness data and provides nursing home data on vaccinations, cases, and hospitalizations nationally and by state, but no particular number of nursing homes affected in Hawaii is mentioned in the provided content.

As the virus continues to circulate at higher levels, Hawaii health officials have urged residents to remain vigilant. They advise stepping up measures to keep kupuna safe at home as COVID sweeps through schools. The COVID death toll in Hawaii remains at 2,233, according to DOH.

Visitors to the Hilo facility are encouraged to wear surgical masks while visiting. Wastewater concentrations of the coronavirus that causes COVID were still very high in Hawaii for the week ending Aug. 2.

Only two U.S. states - Hawaii and Louisiana - continue to have very high levels of COVID. Chartrand mentioned that the last time there was an outbreak at the facility was last fall, with about the same number of patients infected. The facility has a total of 54 residents.

As the situation evolves, it is crucial to consult the Hawaii Department of Health COVID-19 dashboards or official reports for more comprehensive and current data.

1. The community is concerned about the recent COVID-19 outbreak at the Hilo Benioff Medical Center's nursing home.
2. Despite the outbreak, all residents are vaccinated and experiencing mild symptoms.
3. The virus has resulted in ten positive cases among residents and five among staff members.
4. It is suspected that the virus entered the facility via a visitor.
5. The nursing home staff wears masks while working and testing is conducted twice a week.
6. Health officials believe that COVID-19 may have peaked last week, with a slowdown to follow, but the start of the school year could change this.
7. The DOH is transitioning to a new online platform for its dashboards, making data on COVID patients hospitalized unavailable.
8. The Hilo Benioff Medical Center’s nursing home is not the only facility affected, but specific information about other outbreaks is not available.
9. Hawaii maintains COVID-19 data dashboards, which might contain information about other nursing homes’ outbreaks.
10. The CDC provides national and state-level data on nursing home vaccinations, cases, and hospitalizations, but no particular number of affected nursing homes in Hawaii is mentioned.
11. Hawaii health officials have urged residents to remain vigilant and take measures to keep kupuna safe at home.
12. Visitors to the Hilo facility are encouraged to wear surgical masks while visiting.
13. Wastewater concentrations of the coronavirus that causes COVID are still very high in Hawaii.
14. Only two U.S. states, Hawaii and Louisiana, continue to have very high levels of COVID-19.
15. The last time there was an outbreak at the facility was last fall, with a similar number of patients infected.
16. The facility has a total of 54 residents.
17. It is essential to consult the Hawaii Department of Health COVID-19 dashboards for more comprehensive and current data.
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