A new poll found that 71% of Americans think Democratic New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo covered up coronavirus-related nursing home deaths during the pandemic.
If Cuomo had “concealed the deaths in nursing homes to avoid a federal investigation,” 71% of respondents also agreed that he should be impeached, the Harvard/Harris poll found. (RELATED: POLL: Cuomo’s Approval Ratings Plummet After Nursing Home Scandal)
The Daily Caller News Foundation first reported in May that the New York State Department of Health admitted the reported number of nursing home deaths did not reflect the true number of people who had died from coronavirus in nursing homes.
New York Governor Andrew Cuomo speaks during a press conference before the opening of a mass Covid-19 vaccination site in the Queens borough of New York, on February 24, 2021. – The site run by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), along with another in Brooklyn, gives priority to local residents in an effort to equitably distribute the vaccine. (Photo by Seth Wenig/POOL/AFP via Getty Images)
Critics had slammed Cuomo for an executive order forcing nursing homes to take in recovering coronavirus patients. The order was later revoked.
The New York Post reported on Feb. 11 that Cuomo’s administration had covered up the true number of people who had died from coronavirus in nursing homes to avoid the possibility that federal prosecutors would use those numbers against them. Secretary to the Governor Melissa DeRosa admitted on a video call with Democratic leaders that the true number of deaths was withheld, according to the Post’s report.
Thirty-one percent of Americans said they had a favorable or very favorable view of Cuomo. Meanwhile, 42% of respondents said they had an unfavorable or very unfavorable view of the New York governor.
The only political leader or groups that had a lower percentage of respondents having a favorable view of them were: Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (27%); the social media platform Parler (26%); Democratic California Gov. Gavin Newsom (24%); and China (18%). 43% of people said they had a favorable view of former President Donald Trump.
The Harvard/Harris poll surveyed 1,778 registered voters between Feb. 23 and Feb. 25. The survey was conducted online.