Aides to New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D) reportedly blocked health officials from releasing data on the true death toll of COVID-19 in nursing homes for months — longer than was previously known.
The New York Times reported Monday that “Cuomo’s most senior aides engaged in a sustained effort to prevent the state’s own health officials, including the commissioner, Howard Zucker, from releasing the true death toll to the public or sharing it with state lawmakers.”
Specifically, the paper said a scientific paper that detailed the toll of the virus, including in nursing homes, was not published. Two letters from the state Health Department to lawmakers were not sent, and an audit of the death toll by a top aide had its publication delayed.
The Times noted that the effort to block information about deaths in nursing homes from coming out came as Cuomo was working on a book about the pandemic, and while former President Donald Trump was blasting the governor over his handling of the pandemic.
In March 2020, Cuomo implemented a policy that prevented nursing homes from not accepting patients being discharged from hospitals because they had contracted the virus. Two months later, he rescinded the policy.
However, critics pointed the policy for the publicly reported 9,000 deaths in nursing homes.
Elkan Abramowitz, a lawyer for Cuomo’s office, told the paper, “The whole brouhaha here is overblown to the point where there are cynical suggestions offered for the plain and simple truth that the chamber wanted only to release accurate information that they believed was totally unassailable.”
“The chamber was never satisfied that the numbers that they were getting from D.O.H. were accurate,” he added.
Abramowitz also rejected the idea that the effort to conceal the the death toll was related to Cuomo’s book.
In January, New York State Attorney General Letitia James (D) released a report that found Cuomo’s administration may have under-counted coronavirus deaths in nursing homes by up to 50%.
Cuomo’s top aide, Melissa DeRosa, told lawmakers in a video conference that officials did not hand over data on nursing home deaths because they were nervous the Department of Justice (DOJ) might launch an investigation. However, she also said they were “comprehensive and transparent” with the department.
The FBI and U.S. Attorney’s Office in Brooklyn are reportedly probing Cuomo’s handling of coronavirus deaths in nursing homes.