The Hawaii Department of Health has ordered the private operator of a Big Island nursing home for veterans to take corrective actions following a COVID-19 outbreak at the facility.

The agency informed the administrator of the Yukio Okutsu State Veterans Home in Hilo, where 27 residents died after contracting coronavirus, of the order Thursday after concluding that the facility wasn’t complying with statutory health care regulations.

This conclusion was detailed in a 28-page deficiency report completed Wednesday and based on an unannounced inspection of the nursing home that began Sept. 9 and included personnel interviews, observations and a review of records.

However, HDOH today rescinded the deficiency report based on a request from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, and plans to issue a revised version of the report likely later next week.

Details about why the the report needs to be revised were not immediately available.

It is unclear whether the corrective action order is affected by the rescission.

Among things the order imposes on the facility operated by Utah-based Avalon Health Care is a requirement that the nursing home hire an infection control consultant or manager who must work at the facility for at least six months.

The HDOH order also requires the facility’s medical director, director of nursing or other qualified official to implement safe hand hygiene and glove use practices prescribed by federal health agencies in an online training program.

Staff at the nursing home also must watch four specific videos on topics for keeping COVID-19 out of such facilities.

These and some other requirements in the order must be carried out by Oct. 23.

There were 89 residents living at the care home before the COVID-19 outbreak. Since then, 71 residents and 35 employees contracted the virus.

Allison Griffiths, an Avalon attorney and spokeswoman, declined to comment on the HDOH actions because the deficiency report was withdrawn.

“We’re on hold because this has been rescinded,” she said.

Avalon has previously contended that it diligently sought to implement guidelines from HDOH, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services throughout the pandemic.

Avalon operates the state-owned nursing home under a contract.

Late last month, Avalon and state officials agreed to let the Hawaii Health Systems Corp., a state agency operating several hospitals and care facilities, take over running the veterans home through a transition expected to take several months.