More than 9,000 recovering coronavirus patients in New York state were released from hospitals into nursing homes early in the pandemic under a controversial directive that was scrapped amid criticism it accelerated outbreaks, according to new records obtained by The Associated Press.

The new number of 9,056 recovering patients sent to hundreds of nursing homes is more than 40 per cent higher than what the state health department previously released. And it raises new questions as to whether a March 25 directive from Governor Andrew Cuomo’s administration helped spread sickness and death among residents, a charge the state disputes.