More Than 120 Whispering Pines' Residents, Staff Get Vaccine

East Haven CT

19 January, 2021

10:08 AM

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EAST HAVEN, CT — One of the many residents and staff members at Whispering Pines Rehabilitation and Nursing Center to receive the COVID-19 vaccine Saturday was John Ormond, a former staffer and now resident, who spent months hospitalized with the coronavirus. Ormond, who faced death's door and told his daughter Savonna Ormond, Whispering Pines' assistant nursing director, to "Just let me go," got the second of the two doses of the Pfizer vaccine, along with 66 other nursing home residents and 62 staff members. The now 67-year-old contracted the disease last winter at the facility while working there part-time after retiring from a long career as a master machinist by trade. The father of five and grandfather of seven, survived after being hospitalized for 130 days, often near death's door. Read Ormond's story here. Cathy Wysokowski, Whispering Pines' admissions director, shared with Patch photos from the vaccine clinic, which included ones of nursing director Chris Regan, who also contracted COVID-19, receiving the vaccine. Last April, there was a crisis at Whispering Pines, and not unlike other nursing homes and health care and congregate facilities, the facility wasn't fully prepared for the pandemic that descended. Regan told Patch at the time that the coronavirus had already begun its invasion when health departments began to provide guidance, albeit ever-changing guidance. She said there wasn't enough PPE for everyone, the guidance on symptoms changed day to day. During the months-long outbreak, residents were becoming ill and so too were staff. Regan said in June that roughly 20 percent of the facility's employees tested positive. Including herself and was sick with COVID-19 for 25 days, 22 of which she ran a high fever. Read the full story on Whispering Pines' comeback here. Saturday, Regan was one of the dozens of nursing home staff to receive the vaccine. A photo of her after being inoculated against the disease says it all. Whispering Pines' nursing director Chris Regan cheers after being vaccinated against COVID-19. Photo courtesy of Cathy Wysokowski/Whispering Pines