NY Underreported COVID-19 Nursing Home Deaths by Up to 50 Percent: AG Report
New York state health officials underreported COVID-19-related nursing home deaths by as much as 50 percent in some places, according to a report released by Attorney General Letitia James.
The 76-page report (pdf) released Jan. 28 follows an investigation by James’s office into claims of neglect of patients and other conduct that allegedly led to the deaths of nursing home residents and employees.
“As the pandemic and our investigations continue, it is imperative that we understand why the residents of nursing homes in New York unnecessarily suffered at such an alarming rate,” James said in a statement. “While we cannot bring back the individuals we lost to this crisis, this report seeks to offer transparency that the public deserves and to spur increased action to protect our most vulnerable residents.”
The COVID-related nursing home deaths have been a flashpoint for criticism against Gov. Andrew Cuomo, a Democrat, who has repeatedly pushed back against assertions that his policy played any role in the deaths. The report is sure to trigger more debate on Cuomo’s CCP (Chinese Communist Party) virus policies and how he handled nursing homes during the pandemic.
James, a Democrat, said that Cuomo’s decision to order recovering nursing home patients to be returned to the facilities to free up hospital bed space may have led to more deaths. Cuomo—who has touted his administration’s response to the pandemic—has often rejected the notion that this specific policy led to an increase in deaths.
Last year, the Cuomo administration flatly denied the allegations: “Admission policies to nursing homes were not a significant factor in nursing home fatalities. And data suggests that nursing home quality is not a factor in mortality from COVID.”
Regarding the policy, a Cuomo spokeswoman said last year that “it was a recognition at that point that the nursing home population was very vulnerable. … There were more beds. So we said, out of an abundance of caution, you must test negative before you are released.”
Officials in Cuomo’s administration didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment regarding James’s report.
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