98 dead in just one New York old people’s home
GRIEVING relatives spoke of their horror yesterday after 98 coronavirus deaths were recorded at a New York nursing home.
The grim toll at Manhattan’s Isabella Geriatric Centre has caused shockwaves across the city, where more than 13,000 people have been killed by the disease.
But the statistics triggered particular anger after an official state tally of nursing home deaths listed only 13 fatalities at the centre as recently as Friday.
Officials later confirmed that 46 residents who tested positive for Covid-19 had died, as well as an additional 52 people suspected of having the virus.
Xiomara Garcia-King, who lost her father Toribio Antonio Garcia, said relatives of the residents were not even told of an outbreak.
Mr Garcia, 62 – a vegetarian and avid runner – had been sent to the Isabella to recuperate after undergoing a tracheotomy. Although the move was intended to keep him away from coronavirus patients in hospital, he died a week later.
His daughter said: ‘They did not inform us that Covid-19 was at the facility. We believe he deteriorated because of their lack of response.’
Adrienne Blackett, 68, also died at Isabella with symptoms of the virus. ‘They didn’t even test my mother,’ her daughter Melody Jenkins said. ‘When we got in touch with them, we asked them, “Was she tested for Covid?” They said, “She’s going to make it”.’
But Mrs Jenkins said her mother sounded ‘horrible’ on the phone, adding: ‘She could barely talk without gasping for air. Coughing. It’s crazy how fast it took place.’
New York Mayor Bill de Blasio said: ‘It’s an inestimable loss, and it’s just impossible to imagine so many people lost in one place.’
Democrat Congressman Adriano Espaillat accused management at the Isabella – which has 705 beds – of keeping the public and elected officials in the dark about the outbreak. He has sent a letter to Governor Andrew Cuomo and New York Attorney- General Letitia James urging them to investigate the ‘information-sharing practices’ of nursing homes.
New York had recorded 3,065 nursing home deaths – by far the most in the US – as of Thursday.
The state Department of Health said it had received ‘ outbreak reports’ from at least six facilities with death tolls of 40 or more.
Mr Cuomo promised accountability, saying that if the numbers were misrepresented intentionally it would be a criminal fraud case.