CHELSEA, MASS. (WHDH) - Coronavirus vaccinations began Tuesday at the Chelsea Soldiers’ Home and the Holyoke Soldiers’ Home, where nearly 80 veterans sickened by COVID-19 died.
Pharmacists are administering the vaccine to staff members and residents at the soldiers’ homes as part of a nationwide vaccination campaign.
Dominic Pitella, 94, was the first resident at the Chelsea Soldiers’ Home to receive the vaccine. He served as a cook in the Army Air Corps and was stationed in the Pacific Theater during World War II.
In Holyoke, 78-year-old U.S. Air Force Veteran Robert Aucoin was the first to get vaccinated.
Aucoin, who has lived at the Holyoke Soldiers’ Home since 2018, served as a control tower operator during the Vietnam War.
“Administering vaccines to our frontline health care workers and now some of our most vulnerable residents in the Soldiers’ Home provides relief and hope that there are brighter days ahead for all,” Gov. Charlie Baker said in a statement. “We are pleased to start providing the first dose to the incredible men and women living in both the Holyoke and Chelsea facilities to offer more protection from COVID-19, and remain grateful to the dedicated staff who are working tirelessly to keep our veterans safe and healthy during the pandemic.”
The virus has been blamed for the deaths of 76 veterans who lived at the state-run care center in Holyoke, one of the worst outbreaks at a long-term care facility in the country.
Some residents who tested negative for the virus were moved to Holyoke Medical Center in April in an attempt to control the outbreak.
One Holyoke Soldiers’ Home resident died at Holyoke Medical Center on Dec. 16, marking the first COVID-19-related death of veteran who had lived at the home since June.
Two former top administrators at the Holyoke home have pleaded not guilty to criminal negligence charges connected to the deaths.
Vaccinations at long-term care facilities in Massachusetts started Monday.
As long-term care facilities, the soldiers’ homes are prioritized in phase one of the state’s COVID vaccine distribution plan.
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