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White House press secretary Jen Psaki said on Friday, Jan. 29 that it will be up to the Department of Justice to investigate following a report from New York Attorney General Letitia James, which found that the state may have underreported nursing home deaths by upwards of 50 percent.
“I’ve seen those reports,” Psaki said during a press briefing on Friday. “I would say any investigation, I would point to the Department of Justice.
“Any investigation would be led by the Department of Justice,” she added when pressed. “We’re in a new age where they’re independent and they will determine what path they take moving forward.”
Following James’ report, New York Health Commissioner Howard Zucker said the state has recorded 5,957 deaths in long-term care facilities plus another 3,829 in hospitals for a total of 9,786. The previous total shared by the state was just over 8,700.
During a COVID-19 briefing on Friday, Jan. 29, New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo said solemnly that “everyone did the best they could” when asked about the state’s response to nursing homes during the COVID-19 crisis.
“The state Department of Health followed the federal guidance, so if you think there was a mistake, then go talk to the federal government. It’s not about point fingers or blame … this all became political football,” he said. “Whether a person died in a nursing home, or a person died in a hospital, it’s still … people died.”
Cuomo noted that New York State still has a lower mortality rate in nursing homes than many other states, even after the numbers were recalculated following the new reports.
“I believe everyone did the best they could. I believe the federal government, the CDC, believe they gave the best guidance they could,” he added. “I believe the Department of Health gave their best guidance and made the best decisions based on the guidance they had … but that doesn’t mean people didn’t die and people won’t die today or tomorrow.”
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