Veterans at nursing home in Louisiana tested

RESERVE, La. — A nursing home for veterans in Louisiana has one of the state’s deadliest coronavirus clusters, data shows.

In the last month alone, there have been 43 deaths at the Southeast Louisiana Veterans Home in Reserve, though just over half were attributed to the virus, said Brandee Patrick, a spokeswoman for the facility’s operator, the state Department of Veterans Affair.

The home, which held around 150 veterans when the outbreak began, now has just 96 residents left, The New Orleans Advocate reported. Five of them are hospitalized. Of the rest, 47 have tested negative for the coronavirus, 34 have tested positive and six had inconclusive results, Patrick said.

Those numbers come as the state reported Saturday more than 26,500 cases throughout Louisiana and nearly 1,650 deaths.

St. John the Baptist Parish Coroner Christy Montegut has said it’s possible that some of those nursing home residents who died early in the outbreak could have in fact had the virus. That comes after new evidence shows the virus was infecting Americans earlier than previously thought.

The virus’s spread throughout the veterans’ facility has been agonizing for relatives of those inside, the newspaper said.

“All I can tell you is my dad was negative; hopefully he stays that way,” said Connie Bourgeois, whose father, Sidney Haydel, 95, served as a medic in World War II and lives at the facility.

“I have been really worried, and I thought about taking him out. But it would be hard for me to take care of him. And I know if he did get sick they could treat him there.”

The facility has been on lockdown for more than a month.

Contact has been limited to phone calls and videoconferencing.