CHELSEA, Mass. – A recreational event held recently at the Chelsea Veterans Home is believed to be the source of a new outbreak of COVID at the facility, state officials said Monday.
A rapid response team from the state Department of Public Health arrived Friday at the facility at 91 Crest Ave. to help with staffing, officials said.
As of Monday afternoon, 15 residents and nine staff members have tested positive for the coronavirus at the Chelsea Veterans Home, Veterans Services Secretary Jon Santiago said in a statement.
The first resident tested positive for COVID-19 on Wednesday, May 31, days after a recreational event at the facility on Sunday, May 28, which officials said is likely the source of the outbreak.
“The Veterans Services Executive Office is actively monitoring the Veterans Home in Chelsea, where 15 residents and 9 staff members have tested positive for COVID-19. I wish those infected a speedy recovery and express my gratitude to all those who work to ensure the safety and well-being of our residents and staff,” Santiago said in a statement. “Our team is taking a proactive and hands-on approach to this situation, implementing evidence-based measures and working together with DPH to monitor and provide the highest level of care to our residents and staff.”
Of the 15 residents who have tested positive, all are boosted with the bivalent vaccine, officials said.
Fourteen of the residents are taking therapeutic drugs such as Paxlovid, Molnupiravir and Remdesivir. During the last few days, two patients were sent to the hospital; one returned to the facility the same day; and the other patient was sent back to the facility on Monday.
As the number of cases increased, universal masking was implemented in clinical areas, officials said. All resident staff and all clinical staff are tested daily.
After officials identified the first cluster of positive cases, staff implemented “multiple isolation units” for infected residents and other residents who may later test positive for COVID-19, officials said.
Chelsea Veterans’ Home staff are actively engaging with residents and their families to ensure consistent communication about the status of positive cases. All family members of residents who have tested positive have received direct, personal updates from nursing staff. In addition, supervisors communicate directly with unit staff members and daily email updates are sent to keep residents, families, and staff well informed.
“The staff at Chelsea Veterans Home is committed to providing a safe environment for our residents and staff,” Acting Veterans Home Superintendent Robert Engell said in a statement. “We are ensuring that all lines of communication are transparent and accessible between our staff and relevant stakeholders and will continue to monitor the situation.”
In March, the families of three residents of the Chelsea Veterans Care Center who died after contracting COVID-19 in the early days of the pandemic filed a federal lawsuit in U.S. District Court in Boston, saying their deaths were “untimely and preventable”.
In January, Eric Johnson, the former superintendent of the Chelsea Veterans Facility, was fired amid controversy and backlash surrounding COVID-19 deaths at the facility.
Last year, Massachusetts state lawmakers agreed to legislation to overhaul oversight of veterans care facilities in Holyoke and Chelsea, where dozens died after contracting COVID-19 in the early of the pandemic in 2020.
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