New data released by the state health department show nearly 5,000 long-term care residents in New York have been killed by the coronavirus — a jump of almost 200 in Suffolk County.
The 4,995 deaths in nursing home and adult care facilities represent more than 25% of the 19,645 coronavirus deaths statewide.
The data for long-term care fatalities do not include long-term care residents who died in hospitals of COVID-19, state officials said today. Those fatalities are reported as hospital deaths.
The new data includes for the first time presumed COVID deaths at long-term care facilities — that is, people who died with symptoms of the disease but whose disease was not confirmed by testing. The presumed COVD deaths alone totaled 2,765 people as of May 3.
In Suffolk County, 631 residents died in nursing homes or adult care facilities as of May 3, the most recent report available as of publication time. On May 1, the state reported 432 nursing home deaths in Suffolk.
Peconic Bay Medical Center Skilled Nursing Facility reported 13 COVID deaths.
PBMC president and CEO Andrew Mitchell said all of the COVID deaths in the SNF were transferred from the hospital to a dedicated COVID unit within the skilled nursing facility. None of the residents who were living in the skilled nursing facility prior to the coronavirus outbreak have died, Mitchell said.
Acadia Center for Nursing and Rehabilitation in Riverhead reported two COVID deaths as of May 3.
Westhampton Care Center in Westhampton reported nine deaths. Oasis Rehabilitation and Nursing in Center Moriches reported four deaths.
With presumed COVID deaths factored in, the data reported by the state for Peconic Landing in Greenport matches the information previously made public by the facility: nine deaths. Six were confirmed by tests and three were presumed.
The Hampton Center for Rehabilitation and Nursing in Southampton reported five confirmed deaths and 14 presumed COVID deaths.
Governor Andrew Cuomo, who on April 23 announced a joint investigation into long-term care facilities by the state attorney general’s office and the health department to determine whether the facilities are in compliance with regulations, has said several times during recent news briefings that nursing homes unable to provide adequate care for COVID-positive patients have had the opportunity to request transfer of COVID patients to other nursing homes. Cuomo said the nursing homes can call other facilities directly or call the NYS Department of Health to request a patient transfer.
The governor said there are nursing homes with COVID units able to accept COVID positive patients. There are also nursing homes that are caring for COVID positive patients exclusively, Cuomo said.
Cuomo did not disclose the names and locations of the COVID-care nursing homes and neither the state health department nor the executive office press offices have responded to requests for that information. The state has not yet responded to a request for copies of guidance documents or directives notifying nursing homes of the availability of COVID-care nursing facilities to accept transfers.
Nursing home sources say the state never issued any guidance to nursing homes about the availability of COVID-care nursing facilities.
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