New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D) presumably gave member of the family including CNN anchor Chris Cuomo “special access” to state-administered COVID-19 tests in early 2020, the Washington Post initially reported Wednesday.
Why it matters: State authorities are disallowed from utilizing their positions to acquire privileges for themselves or others under New York’s constitution Cuomo’s workplace pressed back on the allegations in an emailed statement, with senior consultant Rich Azzopard stating, “We should avoid insincere efforts to reword the past.”
- It’s alleged “high-ranking state health authorities” conducted the tests at a time when “the seriousness of the virus was still ending up being clear to the more comprehensive public and testing was not commonly readily available to the majority of people,” per the New York Times
- It’s the current in a raft of claims against the beleaguered guv, who’s also dealing with investigations over sexual misconduct allegations and his handling of COVID-19 retirement home deaths
For the record: Cuomo denies the earlier accusations and has turned down calls from senior Democrats and others to resign.
Most current accusations: Chris Cuomo, who evaluated positive for the coronavirus last March, allegedly “benefited from the concern screening program,” according to WashPost, pointing out people with knowledge of the matter.
- The CNN anchor “was swabbed by a leading New york city Department of Health medical professional, who visited his Hamptons home to gather samples from him and his family,” the Post reported.
- ” The same medical professional, Eleanor Adams, now a top adviser to the state health commissioner, likewise was employed to evaluate numerous other Cuomo member of the family, according to two individuals acquainted with the program,” according to the Post.
- Citing 2 individuals, WashPost reported state cops troopers helped rush the test to an Albany state public health lab and some lab personnel worked well past their shift that night “to process outcomes of those near to Cuomo” prior to silently returning the results to the family members.
What they’re stating: CNN spokesperson Matt Dornic stated in an emailed declaration, “We generally do not get involved in the medical decisions of our staff members.
- ” However, it is not unexpected that in the earliest days of a once-in-a-century global pandemic, when Chris was showing signs and was concerned about possible spread, he turned to anybody he might for recommendations and help, as any human being would.”
Cuomo’s workplace did not address the particular claims directly. Azzopardi said the Cuomo administration went “above and beyond to get individuals testing” in the early days of the pandemic.
- Azzopardi stated this included “in some instances going to people’s homes, and door to door … to take samples from those thought to have actually been exposed to COVID in order to determine cases and prevent extra one.”
- ” Among those we helped were members of the general public, including legislators, reporters, state employees and their families who feared they had actually contracted the virus and had the ability to more spread it,” Azzopardi stated.
- There was “a heavy emphasis on contact tracing,” according to Azzopardi.
N.Y. State Department of Health spokesperson Gary Holmes stated in an emailed statement, “You’re asking specialists who took an oath to protect a patient’s privacy to violate that oath and jeopardize their integrity.
” More than 43 million New Yorkers have actually been checked, and talking about any of them would be a serious infraction of medical principles. We’ve built a nation-leading screening facilities to make sure that any person who requires a test could get one. That work continues today.”
Editor’s note: This short article has actually been updated with CNN’s comment.
Go deeper: Biden states Cuomo should resign if allegations are true
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