Coronavirus

Gov. Andrew Cuomo Addresses Delayed COVID Deaths Claims

New York recently acknowledged total nursing home deaths were actually close to 15,000 instead of the 8,500 it originally reported.

Gov. Andrew Cuomo Addresses Delayed COVID Deaths Claims
Seth Wenig / AP
SMS

New York is under a microscope for the way it reported coronavirus deaths in nursing homes. 

Gov. Andrew Cuomo said the state was not covering up any deaths, but acknowledged officials should have done better.

"I take responsibility for creating the void that allowed the information. But I'm not concerned about that, I'm not concerned about the politics," said Cuomo. "I just want to make sure people know these are the facts. These are the facts: everything that could have been done was done."

Cuomo said the confusion was because of categorization. The state counted where deaths occurred and others wanted total deaths of nursing home residents regardless of where they died. 

State lawmakers are calling for investigations, his resignation and stripping Cuomo of his emergency powers after new reports indicated Cuomo's administration failed to count nursing home residents' deaths that occurred at hospitals.

The state recently acknowledged total nursing home deaths were actually close to 15,000 instead of the 8,500 it originally reported.