Unveiling the COVID-19 Response Picture
Finally, New Yorkers have been handed a deep dive into how their state tackled the COVID-19 crisis. Governor Hochul commissioned a 262-page report in late 2022, created by the consultancy firm, Olson Group Ltd, mapping the COVID-19 emergency response in the pivotal first two years.
The report isn’t telling us anything earth-shaking. As the pandemic unfolded, the playbook had answers only up to a certain extent. After that point, the situation was like an unnerving wilderness with no marked trail. No one fully anticipated how steep and dark the COVID-19 abyss would become.
Who Could Have Navigated the Crisis?
Experts suggested that the pandemic path could have been traversed by a particular breed of bureaucrats and specialists. Those who spent their careers sketching out these types of emergency plans were in the best position to lead. But, this is where things took an off-kilter turn.
Then-Governor Andrew Cuomo took control, centralizing decisions. He used executive orders to manage the pandemic response through his office directly.
Cuomo’s spokesperson took to Twitter. He retorted that it was ironic the review suggested delegation of leadership during an extraordinary crisis. In response, it’s worth pointing out that Cuomo’s agencies were never required to hand over control. They merely needed to play their part in the grand COVID puzzle. Delegating doesn’t signify a weak leader.
The Cuomo Controversy and the Duties of His Agencies
Cuomo’s authoritative tone was appreciated amidst the disruption, but his subordinates needed to carry out their duties too. Advocates argue that delegation is not shirking responsibility but smart management.
The report brings other takeaways to the fore. It calls for better healthcare provisions for neglected communities, heavily impacted in the early phase of the pandemic. The anticipation of novel diseases and increased infection rates should motivate leaders to learn these lessons.
The Nursing Home Fiasco
What the report barely touches on is the leading controversy of Cuomo’s reign – the early-days decision to admit COVID-positive patients into nursing homes from hospitals. As was later found out, those homes were unprepared for such an infection influx.
Sorting out the death toll and tracking where the contagion began also stumbled Cuomo and his team. Olson’s report does ponder the nursing home debacle but leaves critical questions unanswered. Who green-lighted this decision? Was there a thought-process behind it? We await more definitive answers.
Looking Forward: A Proposal for a Review Commission
Insight into these question marks and understanding why city and state health departments failed to spot COVID sooner requires a comprehensive government review. The proposal is for a state law commission with the power to subpoena, a power which Olson didn’t have.
The $4.3 Million Report
The Olson report came at a heavy cost, $4.3 million to be precise. That accounts to approximately $16,500 per page, including the title and contents. While the figure might be staggering, the gravity of the situation is even larger. COVID-19 has taken the lives of more than 83,000 New Yorkers.
In the end, every dollar spent in pursuit of these answers will prove to be an investment. Figuring out the lapses in the past response may hold the key to better handling crises in the future. Whatever price tag the commission comes with, New York’s citizens deserve full disclosure.