A top official at the state Department of Health who reportedly tested family members of Gov. Andrew Cuomo for COVID-19 has left to "pursue other career interests," a spokesman on Monday said.
The Washington Post reported earlier this year that Dr. Eleanor Adams tested Chris Cuomo and other family members for COVID-19 in the early days of the pandemic when supplies were scarce. Adams also reportedly played a role in writing a report on nursing home deaths during the pandemic that was later edited by advisors to the governor.
“After 14 months of non-stop work and with COVID cases rapidly declining, Dr. Eleanor Adams has left the State Department of Heath to pursue other career interests," said Gary Holmes, a spokesman for the Department of Health. "For more than 11 years, and in the darkest days of this pandemic, Dr. Adams was a dedicated public servant, and the agency and all New Yorkers are better for it. While Dr. Adams will be missed, she leaves behind a talented group of state epidemiologists led by Dr. Emily Lutterloh, who I am pleased to announce is now serving as Acting Director of Epidemiology.”
Both the testing of those close to the governor as well as the reporting of nursing home resident fatalities during the pandemic are now the subject of a broad Assembly-led impeachment investigation.