The hearing was initially meant to probe whether the state’s nursing home policy designated them as “hubs” for COVID patients. Andrew Cuomo’s administration was found to have been undercounting certain types of COVID deaths among nursing home patients, effectively lowering the number of deaths attributed to virus spread in nursing homes. State numbers show that a higher number of deaths: just over 5,500 residents in long-term care facilities have reportedly died from the virus. There has been no evidence, however, that Michigan is undercounting or underreporting long-term care COVID deaths. The plan was also backed by medical experts at Michigan State University and the University of Michigan, the CDC and AARP, among others over the course of the pandemic.