NYC nursing property resident who was denied a vaccine dies of COVID-19

A 66-yr-previous affected person at Dry Harbor Nursing Household died of COVID-19 final week soon after the Queens facility gave vaccines only to everlasting inhabitants — a misguided coverage the condition allegedly understood about in progress.

Vita Fontanetta, recognised as Tina, was admitted to the 360-mattress facility to recover from leg irritation on Jan. 11. When the nursing house doled out vaccines on Jan. 13, she was excluded, a household member instructed City Councilman Robert Holden.

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On Jan. 18, the grandmother of two was sent again to the hospital due to anemia, and analyzed favourable for COVID on arrival, he stated.

 She died at Wyckoff Heights Health care Heart on Jan. 23.

“I truly feel like the nursing property was someway dependable,” Fontanetta’s daughter-in-law told Holden (D-Queens) soon after a entrance-web site report in The Write-up uncovered the Dry Harbor selective-vaccine fiasco.

“It doesn’t seem that the state is sufficiently checking nursing home amenities, possibly for Covid prevention or vaccine rollout,” Holden mentioned Saturday.

A COVID-19 outbreak at Dry Harbor — at least 44 residents and 11 staffers have tested constructive because Dec. 22 — reveals flaws in the Cuomo administration’s oversight of safety and vaccination in New York nursing households.

Holden joined Assemblyman Ron Kim (D-Queens), who lost an uncle in a nursing household owing to COVID-19, in calling for a broad, impartial investigation.

The councilman’s 96-12 months-aged mother, Anne Holden, a rehab patient at Dry Harbor, also was excluded from a first spherical of vaccinations the nursing household gave long term citizens by way of a federal plan administered by CVS on Dec. 23. 

Anne been given a very first dose a few weeks afterwards on Jan. 13, when other people received a second dose. She arrived down with COVID on Jan. 20 and was hospitalized. She stays in steady condition.

Other sufferers and families are suffering from COVID soon after Dry Harbor failed to vaccinate them.

Carmen Martinez, a resident because April, was excluded from the vaccinations on Dec. 23, her son Antonio Collazo informed The Submit. 

Collazo said he received a recorded message from Dry Harbor on Christmas Eve declaring it experienced vaccinated “these inhabitants who asked for it.” 

Collazo complained that he experienced asked for the vaccine for his mom, who suffers from delicate Alzheimer’s. The 92-calendar year-aged was then scheduled to get her first dose on Jan. 13.

But on Jan. 12, Martinez tested beneficial for COVID. She was hospitalized, and is now unconscious on a ventilator, clinging to lifetime.

“I may well hardly ever get to see her alive yet again,” Collazo claimed of his mother, a retired federal personnel, grandmother and fantastic-grandmother.

A 73-calendar year-outdated Queens gentleman despatched to Dry Harbor to recover from a broken hip also skipped the pre-Xmas vaccine. He examined constructive for Covid on Jan. 4, his sister explained to The Submit.

Now he will have to wait around 90 days to get vaccinated. He also will have to halt his most cancers procedure right up until he recovers from COVID, she said.

“I never know what the nursing residence was wondering. Why would not they secure the rehab sufferers?”

Very last week, the sister obtained a recorded telephone information from Dry Harbor administrator Mark Solomon assuring “they will be giving out the vaccines to absolutely everyone there and we should not get worried about our spouse and children users,” she stated. “A small far too late for my brother and the councilman’s mom.” 

Her brother continues to be on Dry Harbor’s fourth floor, exactly where all the COVID sufferers are housed.

Solomon did not return messages looking for comment.

FLASHBACK: MEDIA FAWNED About CUOMO’S ‘LEADERSHIP’ DURING COVID AS NY NURSING Household SCANDAL BREWED

Holden explained he spoke to a condition Overall health Department investigator very last week who instructed him she knew about Dry Harbor’s strategy to vaccinate only long term inhabitants first, but did nothing to suitable or end it.

“Do you consider it is clever in a Covid outbreak to vaccinate only a portion of the individuals, giving only some folks a battling prospect?” Holden mentioned he asked the inspector, Carmen Meliton.

“It’s not up to me to say no matter if it is right or not,” he stated Meliton replied.

Jonah Bruno, a spokesman for the condition Health Office, contradicted the statements, saying nursing properties are not expected to post a vaccination strategy to the condition.

But Bruno reiterated that Dry Harbor did not observe condition protocol, stating the condition has no coverage prioritizing residents or clients. 

“Vaccinations are remaining supplied to all nursing-household residents irrespective of short expression or prolonged phrase remain,” he mentioned.

Holden is frustrated. “It is evident that 1 hand does not know what the other is doing at the point out Office of Health and fitness,” he said.

Bruno  did not  response when asked if Dry Harbor experienced knowledgeable the Wellbeing Department  about Fontanetta’s demise. He also did not reply the question of how quite a few unvaccinated or other people who tested beneficial in Dry Harbor afterwards died in hospitals.

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 Since the pandemic started, the state has tallied the described deaths of people who died of COVID in nursing houses — not individuals who caught the bug in nursing residences and died in hospitals.

Last 7 days, point out Legal professional Normal Letitia James issued a report blasting the Cuomo administration for  drastically underreporting nursing property fatalities.