New York Governor Andrew Cuomo was recently found to have prioritized friends and family for Covid testing during the early days of the pandemic, according to several news outlets. The governor’s news anchor brother, Chris Cuomo, as well as a number of other friends reportedly benefitted from Cuomo’s position, according to sources for The Times Union, The New York Times, and The Washington Post, leading to questions of morality.
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The governor has fallen under the microscope as allegations of sexual misconduct have come out over the last several weeks from a slew of women, sparking members of both political parties to call for his resignation. Most recently, The Washington Post then reported that Cuomo had sent doctors to the homes of his friends and family at the beginning of the pandemic to expedite their testing, allowing his connections top priority of care and initiating further outrage.
The Post reported, “Around mid-March, the state quietly began the VIP program that benefited Cuomo family members and other high-profile figures, according to the three people familiar with the operation. Adams, a public health expert, had to spend a number of days testing the governor’s family members, the people with knowledge of the matter said.” At this time, testing was difficult to come by for the general public, and Cuomo allegedly used his power to the benefit of friends and family.
The ethics of this testing has come into question in recent days, and Lisa M. Lee, an epidemiologist and bioethicist at Virginia Tech shared with the Post, “The special treatment by knowing someone, or by being a well-off person is extremely frustrating, particularly when we’ve seen over and over again the absolute incredible disparities with covid-19. The people who really needed testing, needed treatment and needed attention early on were the people who were the least well-off and the most exposed.”
Democrats and Republicans alike have called for Cuomo to step down in recent days, but the governor has pushed back and insisted on maintaining his role in power following the incidents. In a recent conference call, the 63-year-old governor said, “Women have the right to come forward and be heard, and I encourage that. But I also want to be clear: There is still a question of the truth. I did not do what has been alleged." As for the Covid testing allegations, his team has maintained that Cuomo was merely acting in the interest of the greater good in order to gather further information about Covid-19 and identify potential cases to stop the spread.
