The Eagle carries an AP story reporting that the Cobble Hill Health Center, a nursing home located at 380 Henry Street, has topped the list of recent deaths in nursing homes in New York State during the COVID-19 pandemic, with 55 deaths reported to date. Cobble Hill LifeCare, which manages the Health Center, issued a press release dated yesterday that states, in part, as follows:
Although we’ve had an increase in deaths during the past few weeks, we have not been able to confirm that the deaths are specifically related to Covid-19. Any deaths we’ve reported have been based on the possibility of Covid-19 being a factor. Because Covid-19 testing in skilled nursing facilities has been extremely difficult to obtain, there is no uniform measure to determine conclusively whether Covid-19 was a contributing factor in a resident’s death.
Published lists of deaths in skilled nursing facilities are inaccurate and based on subjective criteria. It is our belief that there is a widespread underreporting of deaths due to Covid-19.
Nursing home operators interviewed for the AP story, which didn’t include those of the Cobble Hill facility although the story notes AP tried to contact them, said the large number of deaths reflected the fragility of the homes’ residents and the facilities’ difficulty in obtaining protective equipment.