Former NY Gov Andrew Cuomo will testify about COVID nursing home deaths scandal
Former New York Governor Andrew Cuomo testifies about nursing home deaths during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Democrat has agreed to testify publicly before a congressional subcommittee next week, on September 10, according to The New York Times.
He is expected to answer questions about the thousands of people who have died in New York nursing homes during the pandemic.
“Andrew Cuomo must provide answers to the 15,000 families who lost loved ones in New York City nursing homes during the COVID-19 pandemic,” said Ohio Rep. Brad Wenstrup, a Republican who chairs the House Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Pandemic.
Former New York Governor Andrew Cuomo Testifies About Nursing Home Deaths During Covid-19 Pandemic
Cuomo testified for seven hours behind closed doors to Republicans in the House of Representatives in June after being served with a subpoena.
Cuomo’s administration has come under fire for a policy that initially required nursing homes to readmit recovering COVID-19 patients to prevent hospitals from becoming overwhelmed, on top of state mortality figures that significantly undercounted deaths.
An independent investigation into Cuomo’s handling of the pandemic concluded that Cuomo’s “top-down” approach, in which he dictated public health policy through his office rather than working with state and local agencies, created confusion during the crisis.
In the state’s nursing homes, where some 15,000 people have died, the government’s lack of communication with agencies and facilities has led to wasted resources and distrust. Not to mention the fear among residents’ loved ones, according to an independent investigation conducted in 2022 by current Gov. Kathy Hochul.
However, a consultancy firm’s study found that while policies on how nursing homes should deal with COVID-19 were “hasty and uncoordinated,” they were based on the best scientific insight available at the time.
The Olson Group report, which praised the state’s rapid and comprehensive vaccination program at the facilities, said death rates there eventually matched the rest of the country.
Cuomo resigned in August 2021 amid allegations of sexual harassment, which he denies. Hochul, a Democrat who had been Cuomo’s lieutenant, inherited the job and was re-elected the following year.