Cuomo just said the state's COVID death toll is 11,000 lower than the CDC's because the feds include "presumed" cases and NY counts only confirmed cases.
"We believe our number is more accurate," his aide Elizabeth Garvey said.
That's not the whole truth. 1/n
"We believe our number is more accurate," his aide Elizabeth Garvey said.
That's not the whole truth. 1/n
Another factor behind the discrepancy, as reported by @ReporterMarina, is that the state relies on data gathered from a limited set of institutions, such as hospitals and nursing homes, while excluding deaths that occurred anywhere else. apnews.com/article/health… 
The impact of the state's two exclusions, presumed deaths and non-institutional deaths, can be seen in comparison to NYC data, which includes both.
The city tracker shows 28,402 confirmed deaths and 5,105 "probable" deaths, for a total of 33,507. www1.nyc.gov/site/doh/covid…
The city tracker shows 28,402 confirmed deaths and 5,105 "probable" deaths, for a total of 33,507. www1.nyc.gov/site/doh/covid…
The state tracker, by contrast, shows only 23,082 deaths in the five boroughs.
That's more than 5,320 lower than the city's count of *confirmed* deaths and 10,425 lower than the city's total count. covid19tracker.health.ny.gov/views/NYS-COVI…
That's more than 5,320 lower than the city's count of *confirmed* deaths and 10,425 lower than the city's total count. covid19tracker.health.ny.gov/views/NYS-COVI…
The state obviously has the capability of counting the non-institutional deaths. As was said in today's briefing, the CDC's higher toll is based on data sent to it by the state.
NY has an unusually high number of deaths that were not laboratory-confirmed because its first wave hit before testing was widely available.
If accuracy is the concern, the state could report the numbers separately and explain its doubts about the "presumed" numbers.
If accuracy is the concern, the state could report the numbers separately and explain its doubts about the "presumed" numbers.
As for the omission of non-institutional deaths, as well as deaths in prisons, group homes, hospices, etc., the Cuomo administration has yet to provide any rationale, let alone a persuasive one.
Hiding data on nursing homes helped to earn the governor a federal investigation and an impeachment inquiry.
Given that history, it's mind-boggling that his administration would still be selectively holding back pandemic data -- and claiming to be "more accurate."
Given that history, it's mind-boggling that his administration would still be selectively holding back pandemic data -- and claiming to be "more accurate."
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