(Fighting New Coronary Pneumonia) New York State Attorney General's Report: The State Department of Health has significantly underestimated the number of new coronary pneumonia-related deaths in nursing homes
China News Service, New York, January 28. The New York State Attorney General, Letitia James, released a report on the 28th, saying that the New York State Department of Health had significantly underestimated the number of deaths related to new coronary pneumonia in nursing homes in the state by more than 50%.
In the past few months, Zhan Lexia organized an investigation into the deaths of residents in nursing homes.
The investigators selected 62 nursing homes from approximately 600 nursing homes in New York State as a sample, and compared the number of deaths related to new coronary pneumonia in the nursing homes' own statistics with the corresponding data released by the State Department of Health.
According to the report, the number of deaths reported by 62 nursing homes was 1,914, while the number reported by the State Department of Health was 1,229 during the same time period, an underestimation of nearly 56%.
If this situation prevails in New York State, it means that the death toll reported by the State Department of Health is seriously unrealistic.
The Associated Press said that the difference in statistical caliber may be part of the reason for the deviation of this data. The State Department of Health excluded those who died in the hospital after being sent to the hospital for treatment.
State Department of Health Howard Zucker (Howard Zucker) has repeatedly stated that the state government is working hard to aggregate and calculate these figures, but has not yet released relevant information.
The report pointed out that some nursing homes had insufficient measures to prevent and control infection, and some even did not comply with New York State's epidemic prevention regulations; some for-profit nursing homes did not provide adequate protective equipment for residents and employees, resulting in an increased risk of infection; some nursing homes with lower federal scores There is a higher death rate from new coronary pneumonia.
Zhan Lexia said that he will continue to investigate, provide the public with open and transparent information, and encourage relevant departments and institutions to improve their work, and better protect the "most vulnerable group" of residents in nursing homes.
According to data from Johns Hopkins University, as of noon on the 28th, the number of deaths of new coronary pneumonia in New York State was nearly 43,000, and the official number of deaths in nursing homes was about 8,500.
After the outbreak of the new crown pneumonia in New York State in March last year, the infection and death in nursing homes received attention.
New York State Governor Andrew Cuomo has stated that special measures will be taken to protect the safety of residents in nursing homes, and he has requested Zhan Lexia to investigate the nursing home's compliance with epidemic prevention regulations.
According to the New York Times, the death data of residents in nursing homes is always a "sensitive topic" for Como and the State Department of Health.
The investigation report released by Zhan Lexia this time is likely to cause a "direct conflict" between her and Cuomo.
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