Governor Cuomo finally releases full list of state's true COVID nursing home deaths toll: Grim findings show 12,473 elderly residents have died in care since the start of the pandemic - 4,000 more than his office first reported

  • New York State's Department of Health published a detailed list of the number of COVID-19 related deaths at nursing home facilities 
  • Updated list reflects the state's revised death count of COVID-19 related fatalities at nursing homes statewide - 12,743 dead
  • For months, Governor Andrew Cuomo's administration resisted demands from media and lawmakers to publish full list of nursing home COVID fatalities 
  • Last week, a judge ruled that the Health Department must hand over the documents to a watchdog group who filed a Freedom of Information request
  • List shows that Suffolk County recorded the highest number of nursing home fatalities - 655 confirmed fatalities as well as 267 presumed
  • Erie County in Western New York reported the second highest number of deaths among nursing home residents who contracted COVID-19
  • Attorney General Letitia James previously found that the Cuomo administration misled public about the actual number of COVID fatalities in nursing facilities
  • James' report concluded that the Health Department under-counted deaths associated with nursing homes by at least 50 percent

New York Governor Andrew Cuomo's administration finally published the full list of nursing home deaths in the state after months of resisting demands to release the data on COVID-19-linked fatalities

New York Governor Andrew Cuomo's administration finally published the full list of nursing home deaths in the state after months of resisting demands to release the data on COVID-19-linked fatalities

Governor Andrew Cuomo's administration on Thursday finally published an updated list showing the totals of all nursing home deaths linked to COVID-19.

After a judge ordered New York State’s Department of Health to comply with a Freedom of Information request, the updated list shifted more than 4,000 deaths to the state’s official tally as of Thursday.

The new official total of deaths of nursing home residents who were either confirmed to have contracted COVID-19 or presumed to have come down with the illness stood at 12,743 - 50 per cent higher than the state previously acknowledged.

Cuomo has come under fire for months for the state's nursing home policy, which was blamed for thousands of COVID-19 deaths after a Department of Health order last year required the facilities to readmit patients discharged from hospitals, in keeping with guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services.

For the first time, the newly updated data released by the state included some 4,000 nursing home residents who died after they were transferred to hospitals.

The list published by the Health Department shows the complete tallies of all confirmed and presumed COVID-19-linked deaths among residents of nursing homes and assisted living facilities in the state.

The hardest hit nursing home in the state was Harris Hill Nursing Facility in the Erie County town of Williamsville, just outside of Buffalo. According to the state, 117 nursing home residents from Harris Hill Nursing Facility were confirmed to have died of COVID-19. Nineteen others died of the disease after they were transferred to a hospital

The hardest hit nursing home in the state was Harris Hill Nursing Facility in the Erie County town of Williamsville, just outside of Buffalo. According to the state, 117 nursing home residents from Harris Hill Nursing Facility were confirmed to have died of COVID-19. Nineteen others died of the disease after they were transferred to a hospital 

Suffolk County on Long Island reported the highest number of COVID-related nursing home deaths with 655 confirmed fatalities as well as 267 presumed.

The second highest number of deaths was reported in Erie County with 621 confirmed and nine presumed.

The hardest hit nursing home in the state was Harris Hill Nursing Facility in Erie County, just outside of Buffalo.

According to the state, 117 nursing home residents from Harris Hill Nursing Facility were confirmed to have died of COVID-19. Nineteen others died of the disease after they were transferred to a hospital.

Another Buffalo area nursing home that was ravaged by COVID-19 is the Father Baker Manor in nearby Orchard Park. According to official state data, 81 residents at Father Baker Manor were confirmed to have died of COVID-19. Twenty eight residents died of the disease after they were taken to a hospital

Another Buffalo area nursing home that was ravaged by COVID-19 is the Father Baker Manor in nearby Orchard Park. According to official state data, 81 residents at Father Baker Manor were confirmed to have died of COVID-19. Twenty eight residents died of the disease after they were taken to a hospital

In nearby East Aurora, the Absolut Center for Nursing and Rehabilitation lost 42 residents to COVID-19 while another 23 died of the disease after they were transferred to hospital

In nearby East Aurora, the Absolut Center for Nursing and Rehabilitation lost 42 residents to COVID-19 while another 23 died of the disease after they were transferred to hospital 

Two residents at that nursing home are presumed to have died of COVID-19.

Another Buffalo area nursing home that was ravaged by COVID-19 is the Father Baker Manor in nearby Orchard Park.

According to official state data, 81 residents at Father Baker Manor were confirmed to have died of COVID-19. Twenty eight residents died of the disease after they were taken to a hospital.

Nearby, the Absolut Center for Nursing and Rehabilitation in East Aurora, lost 42 residents to COVID-19 while another 23 died of the disease after they were transferred to hospital. 

In Queens, the Parker Jewish Institute for Health Care and Rehab lost 83 residents who were confirmed to have died of COVID-19. Thirty-two residents of the facility died after they were admitted to a hospital.

On Long Island, the Huntington Hills Center for Health and Rehabilitation in Suffolk County reported 35 confirmed deaths, 6 who died after they were transferred to hospital, and 36 presumed COVID-19 deaths.

The Parker Jewish Institute for Health Care and Rehabilitation in Queens, New York is seen in the above file photo. This nursing home lost 83 residents who were confirmed to have died of COVID-19. Thirty-two residents of the facility died after they were admitted to a hospital

The Parker Jewish Institute for Health Care and Rehabilitation in Queens, New York is seen in the above file photo. This nursing home lost 83 residents who were confirmed to have died of COVID-19. Thirty-two residents of the facility died after they were admitted to a hospital

In Manhattan, The Riverside nursing facility reported 50 confirmed deaths, 16 who died after they were admitted to hospital, and 18 presumed COVD-19 deaths.

Another Manhattan facility, the Isabella Geriatric Center, reported 25 confirmed dead, 34 who died after they were sent to a hospital, and 43 presumed to have died after contracting COVID-19.

The Plaza Rehab and Nursing Center in The Bronx reported 27 confirmed dead, 12 who died after being transferred to a hospital, and 49 presumed dead from COVID-19.

In Brooklyn, the Cobble Hill Health Center reported six residents confirmed to have died of COVID-19; one who died after being rushed to a hospital; and 50 who are presumed to have died of COVID-19. 

After Cuomo’s administration released its updated tally on Thursday, New York went from the 35th highest COVID-19 nursing home mortality rate in the country to 13th, according to an Empire Center analysis.

The organization calculates the figure by analyzing the number of deaths in relation to the percentage of the 2019 nursing home population.

The findings were released almost a week after a New York State Supreme Court judge sided with Empire Center in its Freedom of Information lawsuit demanding that Cuomo’s administration publish the updated, official totals.

In the months leading up to the release of the data, Cuomo’s top health official, Health Commissioner Howard Zucker, refused repeated requests from the media and lawmakers to publish the full tally.

Suffolk County on Long Island reported the highest number of nursing home deaths of anywhere in the state. The Huntington Hills Center for Health and Rehabilitation in the hamlet of Melville reported 35 confirmed deaths, six who died after they were transferred to hospital, and 36 presumed COVID-19 deaths

Suffolk County on Long Island reported the highest number of nursing home deaths of anywhere in the state. The Huntington Hills Center for Health and Rehabilitation in the hamlet of Melville reported 35 confirmed deaths, six who died after they were transferred to hospital, and 36 presumed COVID-19 deaths

In Manhattan, The Riverside nursing facility reported 50 confirmed deaths, 16 who died after they were admitted to hospital, and 18 presumed COVD-19 deaths

In Manhattan, The Riverside nursing facility reported 50 confirmed deaths, 16 who died after they were admitted to hospital, and 18 presumed COVD-19 deaths

Zucker changed his mind after the office of Attorney General Letitita James concluded an investigation last month that found that Zucker’s department undercounted nursing home deaths statewide by as much as 50 per cent.

Days after James' office announced its findings, Albany Supreme Court Justice Kimberly O'Connor ruled on Wednesday, in a 16-page decision, that the Department of Health must provide the records to the Empire Centerwithin five business days and pay their legal costs. 

Cuomo has defended his decisions related to the nursing home policy. 

 'But who cares [if they] died in the hospital, died in a nursing home? They die,' Cuomo callously said during a news conference on Friday, after the revelation.

The Cuomo administration had only acknowledged 8,711 residents who had died in the nursing homes until James' report was released. 

Angry Republicans accused the governor - who won an Emmy for his daily COVID press briefings and has written a book about his handling of the crisis - of a 'cover up' that stems back to a March 25 directive which he oversaw that mandated nursing homes had to accept COVID-19 patients to free up hospital beds.

It meant more than 6,000 COVID-19-positive people were sent back into the nursing homes, potentially exposing staff and other residents to the virus which attacks elderly people at a far higher rate than younger people.

House Rep. Steve Scalise, who is also a ranking member of the Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Crisis, said the findings constitute an 'outrageous' cover-up.   

Suffolk County on Long Island reported the highest number of COVID-related nursing home deaths with 655 confirmed fatalities as well as 267 presumed

Suffolk County on Long Island reported the highest number of COVID-related nursing home deaths with 655 confirmed fatalities as well as 267 presumed

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