TILTON, N.H. — The COVID-19 vaccine is coming, but not soon enough for more than 20 residents at the New Hampshire Veterans Home who have succumbed to the virus in the last two weeks.
As of Wednesday evening, 45 residents had active cases of COVID-19, six had recovered from the virus, and 21 residents had died, which is about one-sixth of the total number of residents at the Tilton facility. Thirteen of those deaths have come this week alone.
Margaret LaBrecque, the facility’s commandant, said the outbreak is devastating.
For months, the home had avoided the outbreaks that had ravaged other facilities during the first wave of the pandemic.
“We started to prepare for this the day the governor shut our doors,” she said. “We knew it’s not a matter of if it’s coming in, it was when. Unfortunately, ‘when’ was Nov. 10.”
The outbreak rapidly tore through the home and its residents since it was introduced in early November, likely from a staff member who brought it inside. The National Guard was called in to help perform COVID-19 tests as more than 40% of the 117 residents have been infected by the virus.
No amount of planning could have prepared staff and residents for the amount of death the virus brought. Workers watched residents they had grown close to become ill just as the Thanksgiving holiday arrived.
Residents waited to see their best friends who never returned from the COVID-19 unit. LaBrecque said people at the Veterans Home feel bonded to each other in a way other nursing home residents might not experience.
“They get very attached to each other,” she said. “They’re comrades. They may not have fought in the same war at the same time but they definitely provide each other comfort and so it’s like they’re losing a family member and a best friend.”
She said most of the infected residents are quarantined in the facility’s dementia units.
The residents with Alzheimer’s have had a particularly challenging time with the outbreak adjustments, she said — they can’t understand why they need to wear masks or stay in isolation which proves difficult for staff, who are desperately trying to keep every inch of the facility sterile.
“It’s an impossible task,” she said.
The rising death toll quickly brought about political finger-pointing.
Senate Democrats called on Republican Gov. Chris Sununu to do a better job addressing the outbreak.
Senate Minority Leader Donna Soucy and Sen. Lou D’Allesandro, both of Manchester, sent a letter to the governor Thursday saying they are deeply disturbed by what they view as a lack of action at the 250-bed nursing home in Tilton.
The senators called for the implementation of a plan to prevent further spread of the virus, address staffing shortages and ensure the availability of personal protective equipment.
“The staff at the New Hampshire Veterans Home are risking their health and safety simply to do their jobs and care for our veterans,” they wrote. “This is unacceptable.”
Sununu’s office said he took immediate action when the facility saw its first case, requesting help from the Department of Veterans Affairs.
“An infection control team along with five additional medical personnel have been dispatched to assist the Veterans Home and review best practices,” the office said in a statement. “The commandant and her team are doing a phenomenal job and should be applauded for their incredible efforts during this very challenging time.”
At a news conference Thursday, Sununu said the Department of Veterans Affairs has provided additional staff to keep the home functioning while nearly 40 of the 342 staff members are out with positive test results.
LaBrecque said the temporary staff has volunteered to work six days a week, sometimes completing 12 hours of work a day.
“The minute I asked for help and assistance, they did everything they could,” LaBrecque said.
The state announced seven new outbreaks at long-term care facilities at Thursday’s press conference.
Material from the Associated Press was used in this report.