Uncovering Potential Discrepancies in Reported Covid-19 Nursing Home Deaths in New York
In a shocking revelation, an investigation by New York's Attorney General found that the state underreported Covid-19 related deaths in nursing homes by up to 50% in 2020. The 76-page report, published in 2021, highlighted that the Cuomo administration undercounted these fatalities due to a March 2020 directive and data handling issues.
The directive required nursing homes to accept Covid-positive patients, freeing up hospital beds. This policy likely contributed to an increase in nursing home deaths that were not fully reflected in the official data [1].
Governor Andrew Cuomo admitted that some data on Covid-19 deaths among nursing home residents was late and incomplete but denied any deliberate cover-up [1].
The underreporting controversy made New York's mortality ranking appear lower than it was. For instance, in 2020, then-Governor Cuomo cited federal data placing New York state 38th or 39th nationally, but the data excluded thousands of hospital deaths [3].
The New York Attorney General's Office discovered that most other states included both in-facility and hospital deaths in their counts, while New York did not [4]. The Empire Center for Public Policy later confirmed nearly 5,000 additional deaths through a public records request [5].
In 2021, an investigation by the New York Attorney General's Office found the state underreported nursing home deaths by more than 50% [6]. The following year, a audit by the New York State Comptroller's Office found the state Department of Health withheld critical data and said its Covid-19 reporting "consistently lacked transparency" [7].
This fact brief presents information based on independent investigations and audits conducted on New York's Covid-19 nursing home death reporting. If you have a claim about New York state that you want checked, you can submit it for verification.
Sources:
- The New York Times
- New York Attorney General's Office
- The New York Post
- The New York Focus
- The Empire Center for Public Policy
- The New York Times
- The New York State Comptroller's Office
- The shocking underreporting of Covid-19 related deaths in New York's nursing homes by up to 50% in 2020 was uncovered in an investigation by the New York Attorney General's Office in 2021.
- The Cuomo administration was found to have undercounted these fatalities due to a March 2020 directive and data handling issues, as stated in the 76-page report published in 2021.
- The investigation revealed that the policy requiring nursing homes to accept Covid-positive patients, implemented to free up hospital beds, likely contributed to an increase in nursing home deaths that were not fully reflected in the official data.
- The Empire Center for Public Policy later confirmed nearly 5,000 additional deaths through a public records request, suggesting a larger impact than initially reported.
- The underreporting controversy made New York's mortality ranking appear lower than it was, with then-Governor Cuomo citing federal data placing New York state towards the bottom of US states, excluding thousands of hospital deaths.
- A subsequent audit by the New York State Comptroller's Office in 2022 found the state Department of Health withheld critical data and said its Covid-19 reporting "consistently lacked transparency," underscoring the importance of science, medical-conditions, health-and-wellness, politics, and general-news in maintaining public trust.
