Cuomo book on NY pandemic outbreak short on state missteps

[steven36]

 ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) — Gov. Andrew Cuomo condemned the federal government's coronavirus response and lauded his own leadership efforts in a new book released Tuesday that offers a few new details — but not many — about New York’s battle against the pandemic.

 

 

The Democrat's book, “American Crisis: Leadership Lessons from the COVID-19 Pandemic,” delivers a retelling of his efforts to contain the virus as it ravaged his state in spring.

 

In it, Cuomo describes trying to placate President Donald Trump in order to get needed hospital beds, ventilators and other supplies for New York. He detailed the state’s success at rapidly ramping up testing capacity and his worry that New Yorkers wouldn’t heed calls to stay at home to help avoid a catastrophic surge in hospitalizations.

 

Cuomo also addresses a frequent criticism of his leadership style: that he is overly controlling.

 

"You show me a person who is not controlling, and I’ll show you a person who is probably not highly successful,” he wrote.

 

As for his mistakes, Cuomo concedes only a few. Among them, he said, he waited too long to mandate that New Yorkers wear masks.

 

Other problems with New York’s virus response get less ink, including the state’s struggles to help nursing homes acquire enough protective gear or staff. Cuomo said Republicans have unfairly politicized the thousands of patient deaths at New York nursing homes.

 

“We have seen how the virus is confronted and defeated,” he said. “New York didn’t do everything right. But there are lessons we can learn that will lead to victory.”

 

Much of the material in the book would be familiar to anyone who closely followed his daily press briefings at the height of the outbreak, which Cuomo praised as a model of transparency.

 

Cuomo hasn't disclosed how much he was paid to write the book, which was published by Crown. He has said he intends to donate some proceeds to charity.

 

The book's release comes amid a pandemic that is still sickening New Yorkers by the thousands.

 

Citing a spike in new infections, Cuomo last week reinstated restrictions on businesses, schools and religious gatherings in certain virus hot spots. More than 900 virus patients were in the hospital statewide on Monday, the highest total since June.

 

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[tennis]

On March 25, 2020, the New York State (NYS) Department of Health (DOH), under the leadership of Democratic Governor Andrew M. Cuomo, issued an executive order titled: Advisory: Hospital Discharges and Admissions to Nursing Homes.  (note, the bold face font is as per the NYS DOH advisory itself).  The "advisory" approved by Gov. Cuomo was literally an "order" issued to all NYS nursing homes.  Quoting from the advisory:

 

No resident shall be denied re-admission or admission to the NH solely based on a confirmed or suspected diagnosis of COVID-19. NHs are prohibited from requiring a hospitalized resident who is determined medically stable to be tested for COVID-19 prior to admission or readmission.

 

Do not be fooled by the term "medically stable".  Even today, if you are tested "positive" for the COVID-19 virus, but not in acute need of a ventilator, or some other intensive care action, then you will be discharged to self-quarantine and weather the condition at home.  In the case here, as a result of this unthinkable edict, nursing homes were required to admit any and all persons seeking admission, or readmission, even if they were actively carrying or infected with, or potentially infected with, the COVID-19 virus. 

 

Facilities designed to care for the most vulnerable member community of NY (the aged, the infirm, the incapacitated) were forced to accommodate others who would be actively infected, contagious, with the COVID-19 virus. The feeble non-infected residents were resigned to mingle with and share living, eating, bathing, and sleeping quarters with actively contagious COVID-19 individuals.

 

The aged and infirm members of society, those with the highest risk to succumb to a COVID-19 infection were placed in immediate peril by the action of Governor Cuomo.  What's the worst thing that could possibly happen?  Take a guess.  Well, thousands of NH residents, who had been and were otherwise healthy, reportedly died from COVID-19 as a result, since the Gov. Cuomo executive order.

 

Leadership lessons?  At what cost?  I would think any profits from the books would go toward covering the expense of interring those deceased NH residents.  

 

Note, as of May 26, 2020, or 2 months after it was ordered, the "Advisory" has since been removed from the NYS website, but there are links to archived copies.  One is given here.

 

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