A New York Times piece published Thursday argued that "infighting" between the New York City's Democratic governor and mayor contributed to the city's slow COVID-19 response. 

The article maintained that Mayor Bill de Blasio and former Gov. Andrew Cuomo constantly bumped heads throughout the pandemic.

"As Mr. de Blasio tried to chart a course, Mr. Cuomo, who had long had an acrimonious relationship with the mayor, seemed to relish any opportunity to show who held more power," the piece argued. 

Andrew Cuomo speaks at press conference

FILE - Former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo speaks during a news conference at New York's Yankee Stadium, on July 26, 2021. (AP Photo/Richard Drew) (AP Photo/Richard Drew, File)

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Writers Joseph Goldstein and Sharron Otterman contended that New Yorkers felt "stuck in the middle." The authors criticized communication between de Blasio and public health officials as well, and noted that by the time de Blasio recognized just how contagious the virus was, it was too late, and the city would soon be known as the epicenter of the coronavirus.  

New York City became the COVID-19 epicenter very early on in the pandemic, with the first wave killing nearly 22,000 New Yorkers, according to the Times.  

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The analysis of the city's pandemic response, headlined "What New York Got Wrong About the Pandemic, and What It Got Right," also argued that shutdowns and mandates worked but, overall the city was slow to react to COVID spread. 

NEW-YORKERS-COVID-TESTING-NEW-YORK

People queue for a coronavirus disease (COVID-19) test at a popup COVID-19 testing site as the Omicron coronavirus variant continues to spread in Manhattan, New York City, U.S., December 27, 2021. REUTERS/Jeenah Moon (REUTERS/Jeenah Moon)

Goldstein and Otterman also reported that "safety-net" hospitals needed more assistance and resources. These hospitals get predominately Black and Hispanic patients and get less funding than hospitals in Manhattan, according to the report. 

The writers criticized the city's vaccine rollout and said health officials wished they had told New Yorkers to mask up sooner, but didn't because the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) first said "masks didn't help."

The CDC has faced scrutiny from both sides of the aisle on their COVID messaging. Journalists from CNN, MSNBC and CBS have all called the CDC's advice confusing, particularly in regards to the omicron surge and testing shortage. 

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Cuomo stepped down as governor in August 2021 after multiple women accused him of sexual misconduct. The former governor was also under extreme scrutiny after the city was discovered to have undercounted thousands of nursing home deaths during the pandemic. 

New York comptroller Thomas P. DiNapoli released an audit Wednesday that revealed Cuomo's administration failed to count 4,100 nursing home deaths. The health department undercounted nursing home deaths by as much as 50%, the audit found.  

CNN's former primetime anchor Chris Cuomo aided his brother in his response to the sexual misconduct allegations, which the network first admitted was "inappropriate." Chris Cuomo also used his sources in the media to track down leads on other accusers for his brother, an investigation found. 

Chris Cuomo interviews Andrew Cuomo on CNN

CNN’s Chris Cuomo performed prop comedy with his brother New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo during a widely panned segment in 2020.  (CNN)

CNN eventually fired Chris Cuomo, and the resignations of now former-CNN president Jeff Zucker and executive Allison Gollust followed, as the internal investigation revealed Zucker failed to disclose his "consensual" relationship with her.