![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
edschweppeJust in case anyone still thought the pandemic was over, we get another COVID outbreak at a veteran's home:
The "good" news, I suppose, is that nobody has died in this outbreak. Yet. On the other hand, the state's two veteran's homes (in Chelsea and Holyoke) have been mismanaged for years, with over a hundred deaths between them over the course of the pandemic, so I can't say I'm completely surprised at this.
State health officials are responding to a new outbreak of COVID-19 among residents and staff at the Veterans' Home in Chelsea, according to Veterans' Services Secretary Jon Santiago Monday.
As of midday, 15 residents and 9 staff members had tested positive, Santiago said in a statement. A state Department of Public Health rapid response team was deployed to the home Friday to assist with staffing at the facility.
Two of the residents have been sent to the hospital in recent days, one of whom has been able to return to the veterans home, the statement said. The other resident remains hospitalized in stable condition.
[ ... ]
The first positive case involving a resident was reported Wednesday. Officials believe a recreational event held May 28 was the origin of the recent outbreak.
After the first cluster of positive cases were identified, staff members set up multiple isolation units for residents, as well as other residents "who may subsequently test positive for COVID-19," the statement said.
All 15 residents who have tested positive as of Monday are boosted with the bivalent vaccine, officials said. Fourteen of them are on therapeutics like Paxlovid, Molnupiravir, and Remdesivir to help treat their COVID cases.
[ ... ]
During the pandemic, at least 31 people died due to COVID-19 at the Chelsea veterans' home.
After [Governor Maura] Healey took office, she fired the Chelsea home's then-leader, Eric Johnson amid criticisms of mismanagement and the poor condition of the facility. The state inspector general is investigating allegations of financial wrongdoing, including questionable overtime payments.
The "good" news, I suppose, is that nobody has died in this outbreak. Yet. On the other hand, the state's two veteran's homes (in Chelsea and Holyoke) have been mismanaged for years, with over a hundred deaths between them over the course of the pandemic, so I can't say I'm completely surprised at this.