(CNN)The New York City Department of Health has undercounted the number of Covid-19 deaths in nursing homes during former Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s tenure by thousands, an audit conducted by state officials has found.
The audit, released Tuesday by State Comptroller Thomas P. DiNapoli, shows the number of nursing home deaths undercounted by 4,071 during a 10-month period of the pandemic from April 2020 to February 2021. The audit shows that a total of 13,147 deaths occurred during that period, but only 9,076 were reported.
The audit also found that from April 15 to May 2, 2020, the Health Department went unreported for more than 50% of nursing home deaths.
“The public was misled by those at the highest level of state government through distortion and suppression of facts when New Yorkers deserved the truth,” DiNapoli said in a press release announcing the results of the audit. “The pandemic is not over and I am confident that the current government will make changes to improve accountability and protect lives.”
State auditors highlighted the level of scrutiny over the data exercised by Cuomo, his associates in the Executive Chamber and members of the New York State Interagency Task Force, including former State Health Commissioner Howard Zucker.
The audit cites a November 2021 investigative report into the assembly’s impeachment, an affidavit given to the New York Attorney General, and various news reports that collectively “painted a picture of an executive micromanaging top-down decisions on every matter, regardless of their.” Size, and tight control over information.”
Using details from the meeting’s report and the affidavit, the audit also indicates that Department of Health officials were concerned that the Interagency Task Force comprised mostly nonmedical experts “whose decisions were not always based on scientific or medical advice.” – but experts often had to bow to those of the Ministry of Health.”
Cuomo spokesman Rich Azzopardi responded to the audit, accusing the state auditor of playing politics.
“As the number of deaths outside the facility was reported last January, this is not news, but what is special is that the Comptroller has now released this review – but no one has ever accused him of being above politics,” Azzopardi said to CNN in a statement.
Cuomo, who was widely praised in Democratic circles for his leadership in the early days of the pandemic, has since come under close scrutiny of his administration’s guidance on Covid-19 and care homes.
One of Cuomo’s top aides admitted in February 2021 that the administration was delaying the release of Covid-19 death data from nursing homes amid fears of a preliminary investigation by the US Department of Justice.
The New York Times and Wall Street Journal also reported in March 2021 that some of Cuomo’s top aides allegedly rewrote a July nursing home report by state health officials to hide the higher death toll from Covid-19 among the state’s nursing home residents .
Audit recommends better data collection and collaboration
The audit also criticized the DOH for not routinely analyzing the multiple data sources it has together to more effectively respond to an infectious disease outbreak.
DiNapoli called on the DOH to “provide answers to families who have lost loved ones as to the actual number of nursing home residents who have died.” These families are still grieving and they deserve no less.”
The review recommends that the health department, in addition to expanding its use of infection control data and improving the quality of the data reported, increase its coordination with local officials and collect additional data through other sources such as the CDC.
It also recommends that the Office of the Governor evaluate and document its internal control environment at the Department of Health and take steps to ensure collaboration with local officials, state oversight requests and external reporting.
New York Gov. Kathy Hochul’s office referred CNN to the DOH’s response to the audit.
The DOH’s acting executive deputy commissioner contradicted the report in a 13-page response, which was also included in the review.
“As the draft report acknowledges, and as the New York State Assembly noted during its inquiry into the state’s public disclosures, the scope of health data released to the public by the previous administration was determined by that executive chamber, not by departmental staff and other die.” data issued by the department was accurately described,” said Kristin M. Proud in response.
“Whatever criticism may be directed at the previous administration regarding issues of transparency or the specific categories of information that were publicly disclosed, these were ultimately matters of the executive chamber of the previous administration and not of the department’s staff.”
The audit also found that “continued underinvestment” in public health over the past decade may have hampered the DOH’s ability to prepare for and respond to infectious disease outbreaks in the nursing homes.
“The department’s staff appears to have worked tirelessly during the pandemic,” the review reads. “However, better data and information systems and an established proactive infection control review system for facilities prior to the pandemic would have provided them with more accurate and complete information early on to support their work and would have helped facilities better prepare. “
CNN’s Mark Morales contributed to this report.
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