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ALBANY – State Senator George Borrello is calling for New York’s Health Commissioner to testify under oath about the state’s undercounted COVID-19 deaths in nursing homes.
Last week, Governor Kathy Hochul added around the 12,000 additional COVID deaths, which Borrello says were concealed by the Andrew Cuomo administration.
Borrello, along with Senator Sue Serino, are now calling on the Senate Aging Committee Chairwoman to subpoena Commissioner Howard Zucker to testify under oath on the subject.
“Even with our new Governor promising to remove those involved in the corruption and scandals surrounding the Cuomo administration, one key figure is still in place and making decisions that affect the lives of New Yorkers: Dr. Howard Zucker,” said Senator George Borrello in a statement Tuesday. “The revelation that 12,000 deaths were left out of the official count is just the first step in bringing full transparency and accountability to this issue. It must be followed up by an investigation into the circumstances as well as into the actions of Commissioner Zucker. New Yorkers deserve answers.”
The additional deaths increased New York’s total number of people lost to COVID to approximately 55,400 people, putting the state figure in line with data submitted to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
During the 2021 Legislative Session, the Senators advanced three motions to subpoena Commissioner Zucker and the Department of Health to obtain information on what Borrello says is a coverup of nursing home data and the state’s “mismanaged response” as it relates to nursing homes and residential healthcare facilities. All three motions were denied.
The full letter sent to the Senate Aging Committee Chairwoman is posted below:
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