New York's additional 12,000 COVID-19 deaths were already tallied by the CDC

Newly-minted New York Gov. Kathy Hochul (D) raised some eyebrows Wednesday when she revealed that 12,000 COVID-19 deaths were being added to the state's official tally in an effort to increase transparency from Albany. However, as The Washington Post's Philip Bump points out, those fatalities were not technically unreported or hidden before Hochul took over for former Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D), who resigned Tuesday.
The additional deaths were already tallied by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and other places that were keeping tabs on the count, Bump writes. The lower tally of 43,000 shown on New York's online COVID-19 dashboard kept by Cuomo was based on data taken only from hospitals and nursing homes after laboratory-conformed positive coronavirus tests; it did not include deaths that occurred in other facilities, private homes, or fatalities that weren't precededed by a positive test. Essentially, the Cuomo administration failed to publicize these deaths online, but New York still reported the other 12,000 to the CDC. Under Hochul, the more accurate figure is now publicly displayed on New York's website. Read Bump's full explainer about the discrepancy at The Washington Post.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Tim is a staff writer at The Week and has contributed to Bedford and Bowery and The New York Transatlantic. He is a graduate of Occidental College and NYU's journalism school. Tim enjoys writing about baseball, Europe, and extinct megafauna. He lives in New York City.
-
June 15 editorial cartoons
Cartoons Sunday's political cartoons include FEMA folding, a Father's Day card for Elon Musk, and new lyrics to the "Marines' Hymn"
-
5 worm-ridden cartoons about RFK. Jr and the CDC
Cartoons Artists take on vaccine advisers, medical quackery, and more
-
Will 2027 be the year of the AI apocalypse?
A 'scary and vivid' new forecast predicts that artificial superintelligence is on the horizon A 'scary and vivid' new forecast predicts that artificial superintelligence is on the horizon
-
Kennedy ousts entire CDC vaccine advisory panel
speed read Health Secretary RFK Jr. is a longtime anti-vaccine activist who has criticized the panel of experts
-
RFK Jr. scraps Covid shots for pregnant women, kids
Speed Read The Health Secretary announced a policy change without informing CDC officials
-
New FDA chiefs limit Covid-19 shots to elderly, sick
speed read The FDA set stricter approval standards for booster shots
-
US overdose deaths plunged 27% last year
speed read Drug overdose still 'remains the leading cause of death for Americans aged 18-44,' said the CDC
-
Trump seeks to cut drug prices via executive order
speed read The president's order tells pharmaceutical companies to lower prescription drug prices, but it will likely be thrown out by the courts
-
RFK Jr.: A new plan for sabotaging vaccines
Feature The Health Secretary announced changes to vaccine testing and asks Americans to 'do your own research'
-
RFK Jr. visits Texas as 2nd child dies from measles
Speed Read An outbreak of the vaccine-preventable disease continues to grow following a decade of no recorded US measles deaths
-
Shingles vaccine cuts dementia risk, study finds
Speed Read Getting vaccinated appears to significantly reduce the chances of developing Alzheimer's and other forms of dementia