Possibly 55 coronavirus-linked deaths at Brooklyn care facility

Fifty-five people reportedly may have died from COVID-19 at a Brooklyn care facility called Cobble Hill Health Center.

The death toll would be the largest in the U.S. related to the virus, if the victims are found to have died as a result of infection.

None of residents has been tested for the virus before their death, Cobble Hill CEO Donny Tuchman told the Associated Press.

Tuchman thinks other nursing homes have probably experienced more deaths. He noted that the facility reported cases where it is "possible" the illness may have been factor. He said that he reported 50 deaths, not 55 as reported by the state and the wire service.

New York has been one of the hardest-hit areas in the country during the pandemic.

As the coronavirus crisis has swept the country, some nursing homes have suffered significant death tolls as elderly and those with comorbidities are perhaps the most vulnerable to the virus.

“There’s been a lot of lip service about how vulnerable nursing homes have been, and everyone has the best intentions, but it didn’t materialize,” Tuchman told the AP. He noted that personal protective equipment, tests and extra staff "didn't materialize," and asked, "How did we expect this not to spread?”