New York state is reporting more than 1,700 previously undisclosed deaths at nursing homes and adult care facilities as the state faces scrutiny over how it's protected vulnerable residents during the coronavirus pandemic.
At least 4,813 people have died from COVID-19 in the state's nursing homes since March 1, according to a tally released by Governor Andrew Cuomo's administration late Monday that, for the first time, includes people believed to have been killed by the coronavirus before their diagnoses could be confirmed by a lab test.
Exactly how many nursing home residents have died remains uncertain despite the state's latest disclosure, as the list doesn't nursing home residents who were transferred to hospitals before dying. The revised list shows that 22 nursing homes, largely in New York City and Long Island, have reported at least 40 deaths.
New York Governor Andrew Cuomo on Sunday addressed the state's early response to the coronavirus outbreak and said "nobody" should be prosecuted for the those who died, noting that "older people" were most vulnerable. The governor has been criticized for a decision in March, which has since been reversed, to send patients back to nursing homes after they tested positive for COVID-19.
More than 4,800 people died from COVID-19 in nursing homes in the state between March 1 and May 1, according to a tally released by the Cuomo administration on May 1. Cuomo has called nursing homes a "feeding frenzy" for the coronavirus.
"Despite whatever you do, because with all our progress as a society, we can't keep everyone alive," Cuomo said.