Health workers at Holyoke Soldiers’ Home dealt the first blow to Robert Aucoin, a 78-year-old Air Force veteran, according to a statement from the Massachusetts Executive Office for Health and Human Services (EOHHS). Aucoin, who served from 1961 to 1965 as a control tower operator at the Pope Air Force Base in North Carolina, has lived in the Holyoke Veterans House since April 2018.
With a blue Snoopy mask over his nose, mouth and part of his long white beard, he was given a shot at Holyoke House through a federal long-term pharmaceutical partnership program with CVS and Walgreens.
“I am very happy to have received the vaccine. My wish is that everyone in the world can get the vaccine,” he said in a statement.
Another house of soldiers in Chelsea, Massachusetts, administered the first vaccine to Dominic Pitella, a 94-year-old man who has lived there since April 2018. Pitella, a U.S. Army Air Corps corporal, was a cook in the 559th Air Service Group and served in the Pacific theater in World War II, according to EOHHS.
“I hope this will help everyone,” Pitella said.
Governor Charlie Baker praised vaccinations in a hopeful statement of better things to come.
“The administration of vaccines to our front-line health workers and now some of our most vulnerable residents in the Soldiers’ House provides relief and hope that they will have brighter days for all,” he said in a statement.
“We are excited to start offering the first dose to the incredible men and women who live in both Holyoke and Chelsea facilities to provide more protection against Covid-19 and remain grateful to the dedicated staff who work tirelessly to keep our veterans safe and healthy during the pandemic. “
Vaccinations are a return to establishing one of the worst outbreaks of coronavirus in the spring. At least 94 veterans have died, including at least 76 who tested positive for Covid-19 at a nursing home in Holyoke, about 90 miles west of Boston, leading to state and federal investigations and charges against two home supervisors.
Two nursing home officials are facing charges
The 174-page state investigation into the outbreak described a number of errors made by the house, including delays in testing, delays in closing common areas, insufficient personal protective equipment and a general lack of compassion for veterans.
The most significant error came on March 27, when management decided to move two veteran units into one, combining some that tested positive for Covid-19 with those that showed no signs of it. According to staff and union accounts shared with CNN, the home has been dealing with systemic issues for years, such as short staff.
A grand jury charged two home officials in September “with causing or permitting serious bodily injury or neglect of an elderly man during the Covid-19 outbreak,” Massachusetts Attorney General Maura Healey said.
Former superintendent Bennett Walsh, 50, and former medical director David Clinton, 71, each face 10 criminal charges. They pleaded not guilty to the charges in November, according to CNN affiliate WCVB.
The CDC recommended that front-line health care workers and nursing homes be the first to receive coronavirus vaccines, which have been shown to be effective in limiting serious Covid-19 diseases. About 60 percent of coronavirus deaths in the United States were among people over the age of 75, according to the CDC.
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