New York State's health commissioner, Dr. Howard Zucker, has submitted his resignation from the post amid an ongoing investigation into the number of COVID-related deaths in state nursing homes.
"There comes a time when the baton should be passed in this marathon journey that we call public service in New York State," Zucker wrote in a Thursday letter to Governor Kathy Hochul. "I have carried it through many a crisis in the last seven years and five months and placed the welfare of our residents at the forefront of all things, professional and personal."
"It is in my DNA to always ascertain methods to improve the human condition and, unlike this RNA coronavirus, I do not see any mutations forthcoming on that front," he added. "Therefore, I look forward to pursuing new opportunities that explore the hurdles and unknowns in medicine, policy and public health and voyage into my own imagination to work on overcoming then."
Announcing Zucker's resignation, Hochul said she was in agreement with his decision and that the doctor would "stay on board" until she picked a replacement.
"I thank Dr. Zucker for his willingness to stay on board so we don't have a gap in leadership until a person is identified," Hochul said. "I think I made it very clear on my first day in office that I'd be looking to build a new team. There will be other changes forthcoming. But I do respect everyone who has been a public servant, I thank them for their service."
Zucker has faced increasing pressure for his removal in recent months after he was accused of helping the administration of former Governor Andrew Cuomo obscure the death toll in nursing homes over the course of the pandemic and withholding data from New York lawmakers.
Zucker's resignation comes a month after his former boss' resignation.
The state's response to the pandemic in its nursing homes has been the subject of both an ongoing federal investigation and a probe being led by the State Assembly.
In March 2020, Zucker issued a controversial order, which required nursing homes to accept discharged COVID-19 patients after they had been treated and provided that they were no longer critically ill. He also banned nursing homes from testing returning residents from hospitals for the virus.
Critics have argued that the policy helped the spread of the virus in nursing homes, which were ravaged by COVID-19.
Zucker and Cuomo have defended those orders, saying the facilities were obligated to provide care for these residents and have maintained that the orders did not affect the death toll.
Update 12:57 p.m. 9/23/2021: This story has been updated with more information about Zucker's tenure as health commissioner.
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