12K Deaths Added To NY's Coronavirus Total: Hochul

LONG ISLAND, NY — One day after Gov. Kathy Hochul was sworn in, promising a change in the culture in Albany and an emphasis on transparency, she said the number of people who have died of COVID-19 in New York is 12,000 more than what had been reported by Andrew Cuomo.

"Transparency starting just today, we're now releasing more data than had been released before publicly, so people know the nursing home deaths and the hospital deaths are consistent with what's being displayed by the CDC," Hochul told MSNBC.

Based on death certificate information presented to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 55,400 people have died of the coronavirus in New York, more than the 43,400 that Cuomo had reported, according to The Associated Press.

"As of yesterday, we're using CDC numbers which'll be consistent," Hochul told NPR. "So, there's no opportunity for us to mask those numbers, nor would I want to mask those numbers. The public deserves a clear honest picture of what's happening. Whether it's good or bad, they need to know the truth and that's how we restore confidence, when they know there will always be truthful and very transparent in my approach to government. And not just with respect to nursing homes — every aspect of government."

The count used by Cuomo in his news media briefings only included laboratory-confirmed COVID-19 deaths reported through a state system that collects data from hospitals, nursing homes and adult care facilities, the AP said. That tally excluded people who died at home, hospice, in state prisons or at state-run homes for people living with disabilities. It also excluded people who likely died of COVID-19 but never got a positive test to confirm the diagnosis, the AP said.

Controversy over whether Cuomo accurately reported the number of deaths in nursing homes has raged for months.

In February, Cuomo spoke out publicly for the first time on renewed political furor over whether the state covered up nursing home deaths.

When asked if he thought an investigation would "clear the air," Cuomo said. "I don't think there is anything to clear. ... There is nothing to investigate."