Andrew Cuomo Repeats Infamous ‘who cares?’ On Nursing Home COVID Deaths in Congressional Interview; Cuomo Ripped for ‘significant and unnecessary mistake’ During COVID-19 Response: Scathing Report, and other C-Virus related stories

Andrew Cuomo repeats infamous ‘who cares?’ on nursing home COVID deaths in congressional interview:

Former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo repeated his infamous “who cares?” line during a grilling by a House committee Tuesday about his administration’s decision to send infected COVID-19 patients into nursing homes — resulting in thousands of deaths during the pandemic, according to a readout of his testimony released Wednesday by Republicans.

Republican majority staff from the House Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Pandemic said Cuomo “deflected responsibility” throughout the seven-hour interview about his administration’s devastating March 25, 2020, “must admit” order that shuttled sick patients into senior care facilities statewide.

A transcript of the testimony has yet to be released, and reps for Cuomo who were present for the interview have disputed some of the readout’s claims.

During the closed-door session, the 66-year-old Cuomo blamed an unidentified staff member at the New York Health Department for drafting the directive, claimed it mirrored federal guidance, was not mandatory — and dismissed the premise of the House probe as part of an ongoing political attack.

But Republicans on the panel pushed back and forced Cuomo to acknowledge the language of the state order differed from DC’s guidance, House GOP conference chairwoman Elise Stefanik (R-NY) and other members told reporters.

“They [Cuomo and his then-staff] want to assert that that order is exactly the same as the federal [Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services guidelines], which it is not,” upstate Rep. Marc Molinaro (R-NY) said on Tuesday during a break in the proceedings. —>READ MORE HERE

Andrew Cuomo ripped for ‘significant and unnecessary mistake’ during COVID-19 response: scathing report

A scathing new report slams former Gov. Andrew Cuomo for botching the state’s COVID-19 response — saying he erred by bumping state health officials out of the way so he could micromanage the pandemic from the executive office.

Cuomo made an “a significant and unnecessary mistake.” when he ignored established health department protocols set up to address the virus and took the initiative away from local communities, according to the 262-page report by The Olson Group, a consulting firm.

“The state had the plans but did not follow them because the executive chamber wanted to do their own thing,” said one official interviewed by the authors. “If the state had used the plans that were available and written, then, yes, they would have had the proper plans in place.

“But instead we were stuck with all these executive orders.”

The report said the Cuomo administration simply abandoned preparedness plans already in place — which called for the state health department to take the lead.

For example, the department’s long-planned system for providing community-based vaccination sites was thrown out the window, with Cuomo instead dictating that “hub hospitals” would offer the shots — despite not having the capability to do so effectively.

“The structures developed through hard-won experience from events including 9/11 and Hurricane Sandy were largely ignored and the state’s chief executive office served as the central point of the response.”

“Although decisive actions were widely praised during the early stages of the pandemic, his failure to shift to full incorporation of the state’s established institutions in coordinating the ongoing response operation resulted in unnecessary confusion at a time when New Yorkers needed clarity.”

While the report raps Cuomo for alleged micromanaging, it does not say if his approach led to extra cases for deaths. The Empire State suffered 77,000 deaths during the pandemic. —>READ MORE HERE

Follow links below to relevant/related stories and resources:

Keeping The Patients First: Safeguarding Nursing Homes



NY COVID report finds ‘significant and unnecessary’ mistakes, confusion during response



USA TODAY: Coronavirus Updates

WSJ: Coronavirus Live Updates

YAHOO NEWS: Coronavirus Live Updates

NEW YORK POST: Coronavirus The Latest

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