'Close to the number of seniors that died': NY governor Cuomo ripped for celebrating sales figures from Covid-19 memoir

New York Governor Andrew Cuomo is taking heat after a post celebrating his memoir about Covid-19 being a bestseller. Critics were quick to let him know how he could have better spent his time during the pandemic.

“Exciting news,” Cuomo tweeted on Thursday, announcing that his book, ‘American Crisis,’ had debuted at the number seven spot on the New York Times bestseller list.

“Let's learn the lessons of the Spring to be smart in fighting back this virus now,” the governor added.

Cuomo’s book has sold almost 12,000 copies since its release last week, far better sales figures than his previous memoir, 2014’s ‘All Things Possible,’ which sold only 948 copies in its first week and less than 4,000 copies to date.

Cuomo has already faced pushback for publishing and promoting a book about leadership in the middle of a pandemic, especially while so many of his own decisions as governor have been exhaustively highlighted by critics as likely making the death rate in his state much worse. 

After celebrating the sales figures for his book, which he has refused to say how much he was paid for, Cuomo was quickly reminded of his controversial March order for nursing homes to accept positive Covid cases, which many say is behind thousands of senior deaths in the state. Cuomo, however, has defended the decision on multiple occasions as protests against the order continue. 

“Close to the number of seniors that died of Covid from nursing homes,” Fox News meteorologist Janice Dean tweeted in reaction to sales figures for Cuomo’s memoir. Dean has been one of Cuomo’s most vocal critics ever since her in-laws both died in New York nursing homes during the pandemic. 

Others criticized Cuomo for choosing to spend his time celebrating sales figures while the pandemic continues to keep New York businesses closed and claim lives.

“Someone please tell me how it's acceptable for a sitting Governor to be going on a book tour touting his leadership on the pandemic while the pandemic rages on and then tweets about ending up on the NYT bestsellers list?” journalist Yashar Ali tweeted.

The same day Cuomo celebrated his best-selling book, it was reported that more than 900 people in New York had been hospitalized with Covid-19, and 15 others had died. 

There have been nearly 500,000 cases in the state and over 30,000 deaths in total, among them around 6,500 nursing home residents.

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