Infamous former governor of New York Andrew CuomoThe health department deliberately underestimated the number of COVID-19 More than 4,000 deaths in nursing homes, state comptroller Thomas P. Dinapoli said in an audit released on Tuesday night.
Cuomo, who resigned over sexual assault claims in August, is said to have been well aware of the undercount in May 2020, but continued to exclude figures from his official total of nearly 9,000 deaths until February 2021, when the death toll The rate suddenly jumped. Above 13,000.
He faces a federal investigation into nursing home deaths, which is ongoing.
The former governor, ever since being replaced by his former lieutenant governor, Kathy Hochul, has been criticized for instructing nursing homes to admit COVID-positive patients at the start of the pandemic. The virus spread like wildfire in those facilities and killed an estimated 15,000 people among vulnerable residents.
His alleged deceptive behavior came as he was praised for his response to the initial COVID outbreak in New York City and the publication of a controversial COVID memoir in late 2020, for which he was paid $5 million in advance.
The death count that was inaccurate and coupled with mismanagement led to a situation in which the exact number of deaths in nursing homes is still not one hundred percent certain.
‘While the duty of the Department is to act only to promote public health, we have determined that, rather than providing accurate and reliable information during a public health emergency, the Department made its presentation consistent with the executive’s statement, often Presented the data in such a way as to mislead. public,’ the report said.
Disgraced former governor Andrew Cuomo has long faced criticism for his administration’s handling of COVID-19, particularly in nursing homes
‘The pandemic was devastating and deadly for New Yorkers living in nursing homes. Families have a right to know whether their loved one’s COVID-19 death was counted, but many still do not have answers from the state health department,’ DiNapoli said in its report.
“Our audit findings are extremely disturbing. When the people of New York deserved the truth, the highest levels of state government misled the public by distorting and suppressing facts.
‘The pandemic is not over, and I hope the current administration will make changes to improve accountability and protect lives. An important step for the DOH will be to provide families who have lost loved ones and answers about the actual number of nursing home residents who have died. These families are still grieving, and they deserve no less,’ Dinapoli said.
State Comptroller Thomas Dinapoli released the findings of an audit Tuesday night
The audit, which runs for about 58 pages, found that the health department ‘used alternative methods to account for nursing home deaths’ and ‘persistently underestimated the total number’ during the pandemic.
For example, the audit said that between May 3, 2020, and February 3, 2021, the Cuomo administration had internal data showing that 13,147 nursing home residents died from COVID, but that only There were 9,076 residents reporting deaths publicly.
Among the key findings in the controller’s audit was the reduction of nursing home deaths by at least 4,100.
The number of reported deaths differed between those occurring inside nursing homes and deaths in hospitals.
During most of the pandemic, the Cuomo administration only counted residents who died in elder care facilities, not those who died in hospitals, when releasing information about nursing homes. Image: A patient is loaded into an ambulance by emergency medical workers outside Cobble Hill Health Center in Brooklyn
During most of the pandemic, the Cuomo administration only counted residents who died in elder care facilities, not those who died in hospitals, when releasing information about nursing homes.
The controller suggested that at times during the crisis, the number was slashed by more than 50 percent for Governor Cuomo to advance a narrative that would make it appear as though things were under control in New York State.
Health Department officials have been unable to explain the discrepancies in the figures, according to the audit, which notes that ‘the executive repeatedly reported inaccurate data, raising perceptions of New York’s performance against other states.’
DOH officials even refused to provide auditors with information about nursing home residents who died of COVID.
Families who lost elderly loved ones at a COVID-19 mock funeral for the leadership and integrity of Governor Andrew Cuomo outside a virus-hit nursing home in October 2020
People who have lost loved ones to COVID-19 during their stay at a New York nursing home take part in a protest and vigil in New York City on March 25, 2021
This means that the exact number of people who lost their lives in nursing homes due to the virus may never be known.
The auditors also concluded that officials were unprepared for a deadly outbreak of the coronavirus in such care facilities and then the Department of Health deliberately spoofed information so that Governor Cuomo sought to control what was made public .
“These are not routine actions by state agencies passing through the Office of the State Comptroller of Audit and there are serious concerns about the control environment at DOH,” the audit said.
Cuomo spokesman Rich Azzopardi said former governor Cuomo had already publicly addressed the scandal over nursing home death figures while in office.
“Since the number of deaths outside the facility was recorded last January, this is not news,” Azopardi said. ‘However, what is strange is that now this audit has been issued by the controller – but no one has accused him of being above politics.’
State Attorney General Letitia James praised Dinapoli’s audit, saying it matched her own January 2021 report on nursing homes, which found the DOH ‘incorrectly reported the number of nursing home deaths. ‘How was it presented?
State Attorney General Letitia James praised Dinapoli’s audit, saying it matched her own January 2021 report on nursing homes, which found the DOH ‘incorrectly reported the number of nursing home deaths. ‘How presented?
This prompted then-Health Commissioner Howard Zucker to release re-released figures showing hospital deaths nearly double the previous death count, bringing it to more than 15,000 seniors.
James said in a statement, “This audit confirms many of the findings we uncovered last year about the state’s response to COVID, particularly the DOH and former governor’s reporting of nursing home deaths.” The number was reduced to 50 per cent.”
‘I am grateful to Controller Dianapoli for bringing much needed transparency to this important issue. My office will continue to monitor the situation in the nursing home and ensure the safety of our most vulnerable residents.’
Dr. Howard A. Zucker was at the time commissioner for the New York State Department of Health. Governor Cuomo and Zucker are both to blame for the low count of deaths
The Health Department also responded to Dinapoli’s findings, arguing that any discrepancy was the fault of Cuomo officials.
“The scope of health data released to the public by prior administrations was determined by that executive cell, not department personnel,” the agency said.
In January, the Manhattan District Attorney’s office decided it would not file criminal charges under Cuomo in relation to the nursing home deaths, but federal prosecutors are still investigating the issue.
Cuomo, 64, a Democrat, was forced to resign amid a flurry of scandal when a report by the attorney general last August found that Cuomo sexually assaulted 11 women in direct violation of state and federal law. was harassed.
Cuomo reluctantly announced his resignation shortly thereafter.
Former Governor Andrew Cuomo is pictured during one of his daily press briefings he gave during the height of the pandemic