Cuomo administration ‘froze’ over nursing home data requests. Get today’s virus news.

Associated Press, CNN

ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) — New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s top aide told Democratic lawmakers that his administration took months to release data on the coronavirus death toll among nursing home residents because officials “froze” over worries the information was “going to be used against us.”

The information came from a Democratic lawmaker who attended the Wednesday meeting and to a partial transcript released by the governor’s office.

Republicans who term the comment admission of a “cover-up” are now calling for resignations of both Cuomo and the aide, secretary to the governor Melissa DeRosa, while progressive Democrats are blasting the administration over what they say is a lack of transparency.

The disclosure of DeRosa’s comments, made on a conference call with Democratic legislative leaders, came as the Democratic governor and his administration were already facing backlash over their handling and reporting of outbreaks in nursing homes.

Here’s an update on all developments. Scroll or swipe further for in-depth coverage.

  • More retail pharmacies around the country will start to administer Covid-19 vaccines by appointment Friday under a new federal program that is shipping doses directly to them. One million doses have been allocated to 6,500 pharmacies — including some CVS, Walmart, Walgreens and Rite Aid locations — in the first phase of the Federal Retail Pharmacy Program.
  • The government’s top infectious disease expert told ABC’s “Good Morning America” on Friday by the time 75% to 80% of the population is vaccinated, “the level of virus in the community could be so low that you could start pulling back a bit on what are stringent public health measures.”
  • Ohio’s Health Department is restructuring its infectious disease division following the discovery of as many as 4,000 unreported COVID-19 deaths and will investigate how the error happened, the state health director said Thursday.
  • Democrats pushed half of President Joe Biden’s $1.9 trillion COVID-19 relief plan through a House committee Thursday, advancing $1,400 payments for millions of Americans and other initiatives that Republicans call too costly, economically damaging and brazenly partisan.
  • The Australian Open will be allowed to continue but without crowds after the Victoria state government imposed a snap, five-day lockdown starting Saturday in response to a COVID-19 outbreak at a quarantine hotel.

For more summaries and full reports, please select from the articles below. Scroll further for the latest virus numbers and photos from a COVID-19 field hospital.

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Virus by the numbers

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Photos: A look inside a modern COVID-19 ‘field hospital’

CRANSTON, R.I. (AP) — Nicholas DiPompo was finally going home.

Clutching his cane, the 78-year-old former property manager, who had spent weeks battling COVID-19 in a Rhode Island field hospital, eased into a wheelchair and hollered across the hall.

“You got my number,” DiPompo shouted to fellow patient Art Singleton, whom he’d grown close to after three weeks together. “Give me a call when you get out.” He said they’d go to his favorite restaurant for baked stuffed lobster.

Categories: Breaking News