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HILO >> The largest hospital on the Big Island of Hawaii was operating at about 120% of capacity amid an increase in COVID-19 cases, straining employees and supplies.
Hilo Medical Center had 38 coronavirus patients, including 10 in the intensive care unit, the Hawaii Tribune-Herald reported today.
In total, the hospital had 17 intensive care patients, well beyond its normal capacity of 11 intensive care beds. Some intensive care patients were treated in the progressive care unit.
“As the largest hospital on the island, we cannot turn patients away,” said hospital spokeswoman Elena Cabatu. “We have a plan to take care of everyone who comes to us for care. “
On Friday, the hospital opened a 16-bed overflow unit at its long-term care facility.
Cabatu said the hospital is constantly evaluating its campus to find places to treat patients.
Two dozen mobile nurses arrived to help, but the vast majority of the work was done by hospital staff, said Dan Brinkman, East Hawaii area CEO for Hawaii Health Systems Corp.
The seven-day average of new COVID-19 cases on the Big Island has fallen from 2.7 on July 4 to 138 today. Sixty percent of the population has been fully immunized.
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