Cuomo administration underreported nursing home Covid deaths by up to 50%, NY attorney general says

[ObsidianJones]

So, one of my closest friends is a Trump Supporter, and he spoke to me about Cuomo a little while ago. He started off with "I know you hate Trump, but Cuomo has done horrible things with Covid. And while it made me sick to my stomach that your mother passed [Obsidian], Cuomo is more directly culpable."

I specifically told him that my hate isn't dependent on party affiliation. It was on any failure that took all of our children, adults, family, and friends away.

Cuomo administration underreported nursing home Covid deaths by up to 50%, NY attorney general says

New York underreported Covid deaths in nursing homes by as much as 50%, according to a new report from New York Attorney General Letitia James.

www.cnbc.com

The New York Department of Health underreported Covid-19 deaths in nursing homes by as much as 50%, according to a new report published Thursday by New York Attorney General Letitia James.

The 76-page report comes after a months-long investigation by the attorney general’s office into allegations that nursing homes failed to follow coronavirus safety protocols. Her office was also investigating discrepancies between the number of nursing home deaths reported by the state’s department of health and the number of deaths reported by the facilities themselves.

The investigation found that the number of Covid deaths among nursing home residents in some facilities rose by more than 50% when residents who died in the hospital are counted. The state’s official Covid-19 death toll in nursing homes, which stands at more than 8,700, excludes patients who died after being transported to a hospital.

Democratic Gov. Andrew Cuomo has faced criticism for failing to disclose the total number of nursing-home residents who have died of Covid-19. In her sweeping 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 D.O.H.’s published total nursing home death data.”

James’ findings are based on a survey of 62 nursing homes, or about 10% of nursing homes in the state. She said her office continues to investigate discrepancies in the data reported by the department of health and the numbers reported to the attorney general’s office.

The investigation also found that a number of nursing homes failed to comply with “critical infection control policies,” such as failing to isolate residents who tested positive for the virus.

“As the pandemic and our investigations continue, it is imperative that we understand why the residents of nursing homes in New York unnecessarily suffered at such an alarming rate,” James said in a statement. “While we cannot bring back the individuals we lost to this crisis, this report seeks to offer transparency that the public deserves and to spur increased action to protect our most vulnerable residents.”

The New York State Nurses Association applauded James’ investigation and criticized nursing homes for failing to follow public health protocols during the pandemic.

Let Cuomo go down along with Trump. I really, truly don't care if we share the same ideals. If you contributed to the death, pay the consequences.

Political Bias doesn't matter during times of loss.

As I'm typing this, I've just learned that my Grandmother passed away just a few hours ago. Let me be clear. I do not care if the people who tried to save her life were Republican or Democrats. I wouldn't think "They did the best they could" if they were Democrats or "They didn't care enough to save her" if they were Republicans. Every person that was a link on the chain in the attempts of saving my Grandmother's life is a hero to me.

Likewise, Everyone who would make her a number for a political stance or posturing is a villain.

 

[crimson5pheonix]

Now seems like a good time to post this.

Andrew Cuomo’s Vaccine Debacle Perfectly Encapsulates His Style of Governing

Governor Andrew Cuomo’s failure to contain the virus in the earliest weeks of the outbreak doomed New York to far more suffering than it needed to endure. Now, with a vaccine here, he is again proving his unfitness to lead his state through the worst crisis it has faced in modern history.

jacobinmag.com

Cuomo’s failure to contain the virus in the earliest weeks of the outbreak doomed New York to far more suffering than it needed to endure. Now, with a vaccine here, he is again proving his lack of fitness to lead New York through the worst crisis it has faced in modern history. For weeks, unused vaccine doses have sat in freezers, with some even being thrown out. After imposing extremely complex and rigid guidelines over who can receive a vaccine, Cuomo threatened health care providers with million-dollar fines if they didn’t follow the rules he had created for who can get a shot first.


While it’s understandable that Cuomo would want to ensure that health care workers and nursing home residents received the vaccine in priority, his determination to wield maximal control over the operation has only slowed the process down. County executives who had been ready to deploy vaccines at local health departments, schools, churches, and firehouses were told that only hospitals could be vaccination sites. No locality could attempt to dole out vaccines faster than Cuomo would allow. If New York City or any town wanted to vaccinate a sick elderly person not in one of Cuomo’s priority groups, they were immediately blocked.

 

[Trunkage]

Yep Cuomo is awful

The only thing I wluld defend him with is that other states probably underreported as well so I dont know if 50% is high

Still not good enough

 

[SilentPony]

I mean didn't we all assume everyone was under reporting the numbers by at least 50%? Like who here really thinks overcrowded countries like India or China really have Covid under control and in no way are falsifying the official numbers?

 

[Dirty Hipsters]

Remember when Cuomo ordered that COVID-19 patients be housed in nursing homes despite everyone understanding that the elderly were literally the most at risk group to dying to the virus?

And then Fauci praised New York's COVID-19 response.

Is there any wonder that people don't believe the things their government is telling them about how they should be approaching COVID-19 and what restrictions are reasonable or not?

 

[Dwarvenhobble]

Was it Cuomo or some-one else who was telling people to go out to street parties etc at one point and not to worry because it was better to celebrate multiculturalism than stay away for fear of a virus and seem like a racist or something?

 

[SilentPony]

Remember when Cuomo ordered that COVID-19 patients be housed in nursing homes despite everyone understanding that the elderly were literally the most at risk group to dying to the virus?

And then Fauci praised New York's COVID-19 response.

Is there any wonder that people don't believe the things their government is telling them about how they should be approaching COVID-19 and what restrictions are reasonable or not?

I mean sure but lets not run afoul of a false equivalency. Cuomo and Fauci offering poor advice isn't the same as Trump saying to inject bleach or that Covid is a hoax.

 

[Trunkage]

I mean sure but lets not run afoul of a false equivalency. Cuomo and Fauci offering poor advice isn't the same as Trump saying to inject bleach or that Covid is a hoax.

Put it on a spectrum. Cuomo is 8/10. Trump is 9/0 (I don’t like Cuomo and think he killed about 50k. So he’s almost as bad as Trump,)

 

[Dirty Hipsters]

I mean sure but lets not run afoul of a false equivalency. Cuomo and Fauci offering poor advice isn't the same as Trump saying to inject bleach or that Covid is a hoax.

Cuomo didn't advise that covid patients should be moved into nursing home facilities. He ORDERED it. As far as I'm concerned the COVID deaths in retirement/nursing homes in New York are directly his fault.

On March 25, the state's Health Department issued an advisory requiring nursing homes to accept "the expedited receipt of residents returning from hospitals" if the patients were deemed medically stable.

"No resident shall be denied re-admission or admission to the [nursing home] solely based on a confirmed or suspected diagnosis of COVID-19," the advisory stated. "[Nursing homes] are prohibited from requiring a hospitalized resident who is determined medically stable to be tested for COVID-19 prior to admission or readmission."

On May 21 The Associated Press reported, "More than 4,500 recovering coronavirus patients were sent to New York's already vulnerable nursing homes" under the state's advisory.

So yes, you're right, it is false equivalency. Trump never forced anyone to inject bleach, but Cuomo did order that patients infected with COVID-19 be allowed to infect the most at risk population in his state. Trump gave stupid non-sensical advice and slowed down the country's COVID-19 response. Cuomo literally made the worst call he could possibly have made and it was a mandatory order. The only reason that Cuomo is less responsible for the overall death toll than Trump is because Cuomo was only in charge of one state, but because his response was in any way better than Trump's.

And again, Fauci PRAISED HIM for this response. It's utterly disgusting.

 

[Agema]

I mean didn't we all assume everyone was under reporting the numbers by at least 50%? Like who here really thinks overcrowded countries like India or China really have Covid under control and in no way are falsifying the official numbers?

To be fair, I doubt much of the developing world has the administrative capability to even measure halfway accurately. There will be substantial areas of these countries where there are no laboratory tests, barely any meaningful healthcare, no autopsies, and only the must rudimentary government administration.

I am absolutely sure China has heavily suppressed its covid-19 death toll. Some is likely to be the fact that plenty will have died with no way of identifying cause (before covid-19 could be tested for) but they will have found it very convenient to massively under-report, so to look more impressive. That said, I suspect China's still done much better than the USA or Europe.

 

[ObsidianJones]

Remember when Cuomo ordered that COVID-19 patients be housed in nursing homes despite everyone understanding that the elderly were literally the most at risk group to dying to the virus?

And then Fauci praised New York's COVID-19 response.

Is there any wonder that people don't believe the things their government is telling them about how they should be approaching COVID-19 and what restrictions are reasonable or not?

I didn't believe Fauci when he said that you don't need masks.

Fact check: Outdated video of Fauci saying “there’s no reason to be walking around with a mask”

A video circulating on social media shows Dr Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) at the National Institutes of Health (NIH), saying “there’s no reason to be walking around with a mask.” Fauci’s remarks were made on...

www.reuters.com

I grabbed a mask, wore it along side gloves, and went about my day. When I went to buy more (I already had some on hand due to a bad cold that was going around during Training), they were all gone. I assumed Fauci told us that because this shortage was affecting Healthcare workers. And it turned out that I was right.

Fauci: why the public wasn’t told to wear masks when the coronavirus pandemic began

The infectious disease expert also discussed why they are necessary.

thehill.com

But the fact is, I have a history of not believing the Government because the government's been lying on my people for years.

But in the interests of Self Preservation and seeing my family crumble under this virus, I take precautions. People can be skeptical, but they should not be illogical. Go to a hospital and see if you can be admitted. See the pantheon of Frontline Workers who are breaking down and crying because they never seen so much death in their lives. See the bodies that can no longer be buried, and have to be cremated. My mother had to be shipped to Pennsylvania (over 90 miles away) in refrigerated truck, along with a fleet of others to meet the cremation demand. Who remained in refrigerated Trucks up to and through November

Especially with the last government, I had issues with believing what I was told. With this government, I will hold the same outlook. It must be proven. Transparency is always the first step. Given that Trump didn't supply that and Biden is doing something at least resembling an attempt, my ears are slightly more open for Biden than they ever were for Trump.

 

[tstorm823]

Was it Cuomo or some-one else who was telling people to go out to street parties etc at one point and not to worry because it was better to celebrate multiculturalism than stay away for fear of a virus and seem like a racist or something?

That was Mayor Bill de Blasio.

This is Andrew Cuomo, Emmy winner for his covid briefings.

 

[Trunkage]

That was Mayor Bill de Blasio.

Mr ‘let stop the police from arresting looters but only focus on the protestors becuase they’re the real problem’

This is Andrew Cuomo, Emmy winner for his covid briefings.

It’s about as worthy as Obama and Trump getting a Nobel prize

 

[Thaluikhain]

Yeah, Cuomo, from the little I know, has been quite impressively, and pointlessly awful. Going out of his way to make things worse for no obvious reason.

 

[Revnak]

Mr ‘let stop the police from arresting looters but only focus on the protestors becuase they’re the real problem’

Still my favorite bit was him praising the NYPD after they threatened to kill his daughter. It ruled.

OT - Fuck Cuomo. Dude literally made a book about how well he handled COVID while the pandemic was still ongoing and before any real research into the consequences of his actions could be done so he could get ahead of any criticism. I hope he dies of COVID himself and NY gets a better governor.

 

[deleted20220709]

DELETED

 

[ObsidianJones]

I think this is one of those cases in which you can't win. I am not all that knowledgeable about the US health care system but here in Sweden there's one thing that's always at a premium and in high demand: Hospital beds. Even without Covid-19 our hospitals are likely to be running at several percent above full admission, hforcing nursing staff to come up with "clever" solutions like using bathing rooms and supply cabinets as patient rooms (or just lining patients up in a corridor to get that disaster movie feel) and sending medical staff on long hikes through the hospitals to reach "outsourced" patients that are in the wrong ward because the ward they should be on is already trying to stack patient beds two high to make more room in the corridors. One of the recurring problems that causes this, apart from an undersized hospital system, is the "gap" between hospital care and municipal care (which includes nursing homes) which sometimes causes patients that are ready to be discharged wait days until their municipal care provider signals that they are ready to receive the patient.

I imagine that something very similar happened in NY when this order was given (and the advisory seems to all but confirm it with the second sentence of "There is an urgent need to expand hospital capacity in New York State to be able to meet the demand for patients with COVID-19 requiring acute care "). The choice was between having those 4,500 people who didn't require hospital care taking up hospital beds and thus forcing 4,500 other people in more urgent need of hospital care to not get it or to cross your fingers, say a prayer and hope that some of them wouldn't be active disease transmitters or that the nursing homes would be able to keep them isolated for a few days to let the infection die down. The advisory you posted gives the provision that extensive discharge instructions must be provided, which one can only assume should include stuff like "this person still transmits Covid-19, keep them away from everyone else". Similarly, the prohibition from demanding a Covid-19 test was almost certainly a measure taken so that nursing homes couldn't stall discharges by first demanding re-testing (postponing discharge by at least half a day) and then refusing admittance to the patient if they tested positive.

It is a terrible situation and undoubtedly it exacerbated the death toll in New York, but as a hospital worker I can see how Cuomo made the right call. There was an urgent need to free up hospital beds and the choice was between people certainly dying (because they had to be refused care when there were no hospital beds available) and people potentially dying if the discharge instructions were incomplete, weren't followed or the nursing homes couldn't keep the patients isolated. I know this sounds harsh, and probably heartless, but it is the grim truth of healthcare in a pandemic. Compromises has to be made because the hospitals can't cope with demand and the alternative, to have people dying because the hospitals can't admit them, is even worse.

Now that I made myself a target by defending Cuomo, feel free to flame way.

I think I speak for a wide amount of forum members when I say you are the least likely target there is.

On the health side of things, you're absolutely, positively right. This was a losing game. We were 3 moves to Checkmate before we moved our first pawn. I've gone on Record saying that I would have been fine with a Trump re-election even though I disagree with him on a LOT of things if he just tried to do anything with the Virus. He did not. He lied. He misled his cult and had them die. He halted testing because it would show how completely out of control this was. And he admitted to it on tape. Several times. For that, he is a villain.

Likewise, I don't expect a politician to be able to have the scientific acumen to defeat the virus. Again, NYC is one of the major destination hubs in all of the world. For business, for pleasure. Any illness imaginable will have an outbreak in NYC, and for that, the entire of the state.

But Cuomo lied about the numbers. If he was just simply wrong, that's another thing. But the way he defended himself makes it clear that this was deliberate. He wrote a book praising the lie he created. That's endgame for me. I would be a damn hypocrite if I revile Trump for lying about the virus but give Cuomo a pass.

 

[Houseman]

With this government, I will hold the same outlook. It must be proven. Transparency is always the first step.

That sounds familiar.

 

[crimson5pheonix]

Which is worse? The real line or the fake?