Cuomo Administration Underreported COVID-19 Nursing Home Deaths, NY AG Report Says

The New York State attorney general accused the Cuomo administration of undercounting coronavirus-related deaths at nursing homes by as much as 50 percent, according to a report released on Thursday.

The count of deaths in state nursing homes has been a source of controversy for Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo and state Health Department officials, who have been sensitive to any suggestion that they played any role in the number of nursing home deaths, which the state put at more than 8,500.

A bombshell report from New York Attorney General Tish James accused Gov. Andrew Cuomo's administration of undercounting COVID-19 nursing home deaths by up to 50%.

Cuomo wrote a book about his coronavirus response and won an International Emmy Award for his daily briefings, touting his self-proclaimed "just the facts" approach to the pandemic in an ongoing victory lap.

Since getting hit hard by the virus in March and April, New York has recorded more than 42,000 fatalities as of Jan. 28.