COVID-19 Deaths In Nursing Homes: Numbers Skyrocket As NY AG Corrects Underreporting

New York’s attorney general is accusing Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s office of obfuscating COVID-19 deaths in nursing homes, which could be double what was reported. A.G. Letitia James details in a 76-page report how metrics concealed thousands of deaths stemming from outbreaks in care homes.

“Many nursing home residents died from Covid-19 in hospitals after being transferred from their nursing homes, which is not reflected in the Department of Health’s published total nursing home death data,” the report said.

Nursing homes eventually began reporting resident deaths that occurred in hospitals, but only after New York had gotten its outbreak mostly under control, The New York Times reports. The current state death total stands above 42,000.

The report also details a number of other failings, such as a lack of testing and protective equipment in nursing homes. Nursing home staff often did not comply with safety guidelines or government orders to inform family members when a resident had passed.

“It is imperative that we understand why the residents of nursing homes in New York unnecessarily suffered at such an alarming rate,” said James. “While we cannot bring back the individuals we lost to this crisis, this report seeks to offer transparency that the public deserves."

Nursing homes’ vulnerability to COVID-19 has been a point of contention with the governor’s office since a March order that homes admit residents that test positive. Cuomo frequently rebuffed critics, saying their attacks were politically motivated.

“Go talk to 34 other states first. Go talk to the Republican states now — Florida, Texas, Arizona — ask them what is happening in nursing homes. It’s all politics,” Gov. Cuomo said in July.

The Department of Health also pushed back, saying that most infections came from staff rather than admitted residents. Its report said that residents who tested positive were by and large not contagious when admitted.