“As it stands, someone who’s in a nursing home as a resident gets infected in their nursing home, but loses their life in a hospital or elsewhere is not counted as a COVID nursing home death. So, first, how many other states similarly do not count the aforementioned as a nursing home death?” asked Senator James Skoufis.

“I can’t give you the answer on the number of states. I know that the data that’s coming into the CDC, and I’ve spoken to the CDC many times is quite fragmented regarding different states,” said NYS DOH Commissioner Howard Zucker.

Senator Skoufis believes New York’s counting method “misrepresents the true scale of this crisis” in nursing homes. Commissioner Zucker was not able to provide the number of nursing home residents who have died as a result of COVID in hospitals at this time saying he needs to make sure he has an accurate number.