More than 9,000 recovering coronavirus patients in New York state were released from hospitals into nursing homes under a controversial directive that was scrapped amid criticism it was accelerating outbreaks. That's according to new records obtained by The Associated Press.
The new number of over 9,000 recovering patients sent to hundreds of nursing homes is more than 40% higher than what had been previously released by the state health department. And it raises new questions as to whether Gov. Andrew Cuomo's March 25 directive helped spread sickness and death among residents.
That's a charge his administration disputes.
Nonetheless, the nursing home issue is not likely to fade soon. A New York Post story reports that Melissa DeRosa, the governor's top aide, told some state legislators that an accurate number of nursing home deaths had beeen withheld.
Some Democrats in the state legislature are now calling for Cuomo to be stripped of his emergency powers as Republicans continue to demand an investigation from the Department of Justice.
