In-Depth: Discrepancies in NY COVID death numbers

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ROCHESTER, N.Y. (WHEC) — News10NBC is going In-Depth as we found there are more discrepancies in the reporting of COVID deaths here in New York.

We checked, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says roughly 54,000 New Yorkers have died from COVID, but the state’s tally is well below that, at about 43,000.

So why such a big gap?

According to the New York State Department of Health, NY’s count only includes lab-confirmed virus deaths at hospitals, nursing homes, and adult-care facilities.

This means people who died at home, in hospice, in state prisons, or at state-run homes for people with disabilities are not included. The numbers also exclude people who likely died from COVID but never got a positive test to confirm the diagnosis.