COVID-19 has killed more than 200 people at 10 Queens nursing homes

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By David Brand

More than 200 residents of Queens nursing homes have died as a result of the coronavirus, according to a state report published Friday.

In total, 202 people died in 10 different nursing homes as of April 15, with about a fifth of the deaths occurring at the New Franklin Center for Rehabilitation and Nursing in Flushing. 

New Franklin Center – with 44 deaths — is one of five nursing homes in the city where more than 40 people have died, according to the report. Staff did not answer the phone at the nursing home Friday.

“We need more testing capability now,” U.S. Rep. Grace Meng tweeted Friday. “200+ deaths of moms, dads, grandparents, loved ones in my district alone.”

The number is almost certainly higher, however, as the state only reported the tally at nursing homes where more than five people died. The data was released Friday after The New York Times reported on the lack of transparency regarding nursing home death rates.

Older adults, particularly individuals with pre-existing conditions who live in group settings, are especially vulnerable to the coronavirus. Nursing homes across the country have been hard-hit by COVID-19, beginning with an outbreak last month at a facility in Washington.

“The virus is very good at killing, and the virus is very good at killing older people and people with compromised immune systems,” Gov. Andrew Cuomo said Friday. “That’s why the virus seeks out nursing homes."