Coronavirus Update: NYC Nursing Home Reportedly Running Out Of Room For COVID-19 Victims

A nursing home in Brooklyn was reportedly running out of space for dead bodies of COVID-19 victims. The news came as New York released the comprehensive number of deaths in the state's nursing homes.

On Monday (April 13), the New York state officials reported COVID-19 has killed more than 2,400 elderly and disabled New Yorkers at nursing homes and assisted living facilities. Compared to previous data, which only reflected the number of people who actually died in a facility, the new numbers reflect the latest and most comprehensive information available, showing those who died at facilities as well as in hospitals.

Although New York State Health Commissioner Dr. Howard Zucker said the state will not release the number of COVID-19 deaths per nursing home due to privacy issues, recent reports also surfaced of a facility that was already running our of beds for those who had died.

"These places don't have morgues," a nurse at the Chateau at Brooklyn Rehabilitation & Nursing Center said, according to the New York Post. "They were putting them downstairs but now a lot of them are being left in their rooms. What else can you do right now?"

In a statement, the nursing home explained "no patient that passes away has ever been left in his or her bed." The facility, however, did not dispute another nursing home worker's claim about several patients being in isolation and of having to conduct "a whole lot of cleaning."

According to the worker, about 40 residents have died in the last three weeks. The worker also noted another facility, King David on Cropsey Avenue, has reported nearly 50 coronavirus deaths. Although the matter has yet to be confirmed, city official Mark Treyger did note he received reports of ambulances coming "in and out" of the facility.

"No one from the city or state has been able to confirm virus cases but clearly something is going on," Treyger said, according to the New York Post.

Early in the outbreak, New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo warned of the threat COVID-19 will pose to nursing homes. Even in the United Kingdom, nearly 100 care homes recently reported coronavirus outbreaks within 24 hours, according to The Independent.

Such reports were particularly concerning since the elderly and those with pre-existing medical conditions were said to be more vulnerable to developing severe COVID-19 symptoms.