Hochul Acknowledges Additional 12,000 Covid-19 Deaths in New York

(Bloomberg) -- New York Governor Kathy Hochul for the first time acknowledged an additional 12,000 Covid deaths in the state.

The state database on pandemic deaths was updated Tuesday, her first day in office, to include both the official tally from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and previously reported state numbers.

Her predecessor Andrew Cuomo, who stepped down Monday, faced intense scrutiny for using numbers from the state’s Health Electronic Response Data system, which shows fewer deaths. 

As of Wednesday morning, the New York state website gave both sets of data: 55,395 Covid-19 deaths, according to the CDC, and 43,415, according to the state system.

New York Attorney General Letitia James in January found that Cuomo may have undercounted coronavirus-related deaths in nursing homes by as much as 50%. Her report said the state Health Department erred in counting Covid-19 fatalities, and she detailed a lack of compliance with infection-control policies at many nursing homes.

Hochul’s office didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.

On Wednesday morning, she told National Public Radio she planned to use the CDC data, “which will be consistent. So, there’s no opportunity for us to mask those numbers, nor would I want to mask those numbers.” 

In the interview, Hochul said her administration, unlike Cuomo’s, also would release both confirmed and presumed deaths due to the coronavirus.

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