A view of a patient being taken out of a nursing home in Flushing Queens, New York, USA, during the coronavirus pandemic on April 22, 2020.
John Nacion | NurPhoto | Getty Images
The New York Department of Health underreported Covid-19 deaths in nursing homes by up to 50%, according to a new report published on Thursday by New York Attorney General Letitia James.
The 76-page report comes after a months-long investigation by the attorney general’s office over allegations that nursing homes have not followed coronavirus safety protocols.
The investigation found that the number of Covid deaths among residents of nursing homes in some facilities increased by more than 50% after counting residents who died in the hospital. The state’s official Covid-19 death toll in nursing homes excludes patients who died after being transported to a hospital.
Democratic Governor Andrew Cuomo has faced criticism for not disclosing the total number of nursing home residents who died in Covid-19. In his extensive report, James, also a Democrat, found that “many nursing home residents died from Covid-19 in hospitals after being transferred from their nursing homes, which is not reflected in the DOH published total mortality data.”
Cuomo officials did not immediately return CNBC’s request to comment on the findings.
The attorney general’s findings put her at odds with the governor, who always boasted about the state’s response to the coronavirus. Cuomo also rejected criticism of a health department policy that mandated health facilities to accept residents with a positive coronavirus test. The governor has repeatedly defended his government’s response to the pandemic, saying the state was poorly supported by an inept federal government caught off guard by the virus’s import.
James’ findings are based on a survey of 62 nursing homes, or about 10% of nursing homes in the state. She said her office is continuing to investigate discrepancies between data reported by the health department and figures reported to the attorney general’s office.
The investigation also found that several nursing homes did not comply with “critical infection control policies”, such as, for example, not isolating residents who tested positive for the virus.
“As the pandemic and our investigations continue, it is imperative that we understand why nursing home residents in New York have suffered unnecessarily at such an alarming rate,” said James in a statement. “Although we cannot bring back the individuals we lost in this crisis, this report seeks to provide the transparency that the public deserves and to encourage increased action to protect our most vulnerable residents.”
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