Another resident of the Yukio Okutsu State Veterans Home in Hilo died today of complications related to COVID-19, bringing the coronavirus death toll to eight at the nursing home, according to Avalon Healthcare.

The patient had underlying health conditions and was hospitalized at Hilo Medical Center at the time of death. No further details were available.

“We offer our deepest sympathies to the families and loved ones,” Avalon Healthcare said in a statement.

“Avalon Healthcare, the home’s managing company since 2007, is working tirelessly to stem the outbreak, and I greatly appreciate the efforts of their local dedicated staff,” said Dan Brinkman, CEO of East Hawaii Region of Hawaii Health Systems Corporation, which includes Hilo Medical Center. “The veterans are like their family and the recent losses are personal. My heart goes out to them.”

Altogether 58 residents and 18 employees at the Hilo nursing home have tested positive for COVID-19, according to Avalon. Eight residents have died and 14 have recovered as of today. Two residents are hospitalized at Hilo Medical Center, while 34 are cared for at the veterans home’s COVID-19 designated area.

Staff members who tested positive are in isolation at home. So far, one employee has recovered from the disease.

Based on contact tracing, the facility believes that an asymptomatic employee who was exposed in the community brought it into the nursing home. All residents and staff have been tested and retested several times for the disease since Aug. 23.

On Sunday, U.S. Sen. Brian Schatz, sought federal help from the Department of Veterans Affairs to help deal with the situation.

“I’m calling on the VA to immediately step in and deploy infection control experts and other health care professionals to the Big Island to get this under control,” he said. “This is a public health emergency and we need all the help we can get to stop this outbreak and save lives.”

Brinkman said today that more help would be welcomed.

“We welcome the support local, state, and federal agencies for the COVID-19 outbreak at the Yukio Okutsu State Veterans Home,” he said. “The COVID virus is a beast and additional expert help to combat it is greatly appreciated.

More information is available at https://ahcupdates.info/hilo-covid19-update.