New York Attorney General Letitia James said that the state Department of Health underreported COVID-19 deaths in nursing homes by as much as 50%, according to a report released Thursday.
The count of deaths in state nursing homes has been a source of controversy for Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo and state Health Department officials; who have been sensitive to any suggestion that they played any role in the number of nursing home deaths.
They have also been accused of obscuring a more accurate estimate of nursing home deaths; because the state only counted deaths at the actual facilities; rather than including deaths of residents who were transferred to a hospital and died there.
In a 76-page report, James also said that some unidentified nursing homes apparently underreported resident fatalities to the state Department of Health and failed to enforce infection-control measures; with more than 20 currently under investigation.
Whoa. New York state has been dramatically undercounting Covid-19 deaths in nursing homes, according to an investigation by the attorney general. The actual number of deaths may be 50% higher than Gov. Andrew Cuomo has told the public: https://t.co/OQPU3KXJl6 (by @jessemckinley)
— Brian M. Rosenthal (@brianmrosenthal) January 28, 2021
The bombshell findings could push the current DOH tally of 8,711 deaths to more than 13,000. Based on a survey of 62 nursing homes; found the state undercounted the fatalities there by an average of 56 percent.
Cuomo has defended the nursing home policy as in-line with guidance from the Trump administration at the time. The governor was silent Thursday following the new AG report.
James’ report said that government guidance requiring the admission of COVID-19 patients into nursing homes; may have put residents at increased risk of harm in some facilities and may have obscured the data available to assess that risk.
“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.”