New York Governor Andrew Cuomo said in a news conference on Monday that he had made a “mistake” by failing to provide information about it. deaths in nursing homes from COVID-19 timely. But Cuomo continued to defend his and his administration’s approach to the crisis, saying he would entrust “my mother” to his best health advisor, Dr. Howard Zucker.
Cuomo has long faced criticism of his government’s handling of the release of data on deaths from COVID-19 in nursing homes, which increased last week when one of his top employees admitted that they were concerned about the data was “used against us”.
In recent weeks, the state has had to acknowledge that the death toll of nursing home residents is nearly 15,000. The state had previously reported a death toll of 8,500 – a number that excludes residents who died after being taken to hospitals.
When asked if he would apologize for handling the nursing home records, Cuomo acknowledged a delay in reporting some of the results on Monday.
“The void we created by not providing information was filled by skepticism and cynicism and conspiracy theories that confused… you don’t give the information, something will provide the information,” said Cuomo. “Above all, the void we have created created misinformation.”
Although Cuomo has been criticized by both Republican and Democratic lawmakers – some of whom have called for him to end or even face prosecution – he insisted on Monday that members of the New York legislature and “ top legislative staff ” be told to prioritize. set. a federal investigation.
State legislators and the Justice Department both asked for information about deaths in nursing homes around the same time.
Top Cuomo aid Melissa DeRosa last week told Democratic lawmakers the government “froze” because “we were in a position where we were not sure what we were going to give to the Justice Department or what we are giving you and what we are getting into say we would be used against us, and we weren’t sure there would be an investigation. ”
DeRosa’s comments were first reported by The New York Post.
In a move that has long been questioned, Cuomo ordered on March 25 that nursing home patients with COVID-19 be returned to nursing homes instead of being held in hospitals. He later returned command.
Cuomo defended the move as being in line with federal guidelines, adding that at the time, having hospitals exceeded was not the top priority. Cuomo stressed Monday that there was “a lot of bias” around the March 25 memo, saying patients were only received in nursing homes if a particular home confirmed that they were able to accept them.
Of the 613 nursing homes in New York, Cuomo said 365 received a patient from a hospital. Of the 365, Cuomo said 98% already had COVID-19 in their facilities.
“COVID did not enter the nursing homes of people coming from hospitals,” Cuomo said Monday. “COVID got into nursing homes by staff who walked into nursing homes.”
Meanwhile, Cuomo announced Monday that the New York City Subway system will now not shut down until 2am. from February 22 to 4 a.m. At the height of the March pandemic, Cuomo announced that New York City’s famous 24-hour subway system would be closed from 1:00 AM to 5:00 AM for thorough cleaning.
As the city began to ease COVID restrictions, many wondered how much the city could reopen without a 24-hour subway line. Furthermore, there has been an increase in crime as the trains were sparsely populated, including an alleged stabbing that left two dead and two others injured on the A train over a 14-hour period on Friday.
Cuomo also said the first case of the South African variant of COVID-19 was discovered in a New York hospital.