Asymptomatic staff, and possibly visitors in February and early March, unknowingly brought COVID-19 into New York nursing homes, leading to deaths among elderly residents, according to a report by the state’s health department released Monday.
The report is a direct response to criticism of a state policy Gov. Andrew Cuomo enacted in late March that said nursing homes could not refuse to admit a resident because of confirmed or suspected COVID-19 infection. Critics argued that policy enabled infected patients to return to care facilities from hospitals and spread the disease among vulnerable residents.
Of the facilities that readmitted residents from the hospital, 81% already had a COVID-19 diagnosis at the nursing home, Zucker added.New York updated its nursing home admission policy in mid-May to say hospital patients had to test negative before returning to a nursing home. The change came after growing criticism from state lawmakers, some care facilities and the Society for Post-Acute and Long-Term Care Medicine, a professional trade group of long-term care providers.
Michael Dowling, CEO of Northwell Health, which along with experts at Mount Sinai peer-reviewed the report, said it confirmed what the hospital network also witnessed.
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