August 12, 2020

Andrew Campbell 

Unlike every other US state with major COVID-19 outbreaks, New York’s coronavirus death toll only counts residents who died in nursing homes and not those who were sent to hospitals and died there. Thus, the coronavirus death toll in New York's nursing homes may be significantly undercounted.

New York Governor Andrew Cuomo and his administration have been unwilling to release the extent of deaths and infections among residents of the state’s 613 nursing homes since March.

Up to date, New York's coronavirus death toll has already been among the highest in the US, the New York state has recorded 25,200 COVID-19 deaths. But so far the administration of Democratic Governor Cuomo has reported an official care home death toll of 6,600.

Democratic and Republican state lawmakers criticized Governor Cuomo and his top health officials during hearings on August 3 about the unknown death toll at the state’s nursing homes amid the coronavirus pandemic. They suspected New York's true nursing home COVID-19 death toll is likely high and may actually be significantly undercounted.