Cuomo – New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s administration reportedly allowed members of his family and other influential people to receive special access to government-run Covid-19 testing early during the pandemic last year when tests were scarce and the broader public was struggling to access them.
The Albany Times-Union first reported the governor and New York Health Commissioner Dr. Howard Zucker directed high-level members of the state’s health department to conduct prioritized testing for Cuomo’s family and other influential people with ties to his administration early during the pandemic.
According to the Washington Post, a top state doctor and other state health officials were dispatched to collect samples from those with privileged access while the state lab immediately processed the results even though it was capable of running only several hundred tests a day at the time.
The VIP samples were at times driven to the state public health lab in Albany by state police troopers and in some cases employees in the state health laboratory had to stay back till late at night, past their usual shifts, to process these results, the report added.
The New York Times confirmed the beneficiaries of the privileged access included the governor’s brother and CNN anchor Chris Cuomo, his mother and former First Lady of the state Matilda Cuomo and at least one of his sisters.
The VIP access program began around mid-March last year and Eleanor Adams—currently a top adviser to the state health commissioner— was enlisted to test several Cuomo family members including Chris Cuomo who announced on March 31 he had tested positive, the Washington Post report added.
Cuomo’s office has dismissed the allegation that it meted out privileged access to some and told the Times-Union that they made sure to test people they believe were exposed and it was all done in good faith “in an effort to trace the virus.”
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Source – https://www.forbes.com/
