A family member claims their grandmother, who lived at the Paramount at Somers, had the coronavirus, but was never tested for it.

Christopher Lena, of Mahopac, says his 91-year-old grandmother, Lorraine, died at a hospital in early April, days after leaving her nursing home.

Lena says his grandmother had shortness of breath and minor body aches at the end of March. He says she reported feeling sick for about a week but was never tested for COVID-19.

Lena says the nursing home did not explain why she was not tested.

When asked why a symptomatic patient wouldn't be tested, a nurse assistant at the facility, who wanted to remain anonymous said, "There was a time when we didn't have any tests and people weren't being tested. It was actually quite sickening."

The administration at Paramount at Somers told News 12, "Our 300-bed facility is actively treating 27 patients in-house that have confirmed positive for COVID-19...The New York State Department of Health and our local regulatory agencies have been an excellent partner of ours throughout this pandemic."

News 12 has heard stories similar to this one from all across the state. It has lit a fire under state Senate Republicans, who requested an independent federal investigation Wednesday into coronavirus-related deaths, and lack of reporting in state nursing homes.

News 12 reached out to the Paramount at Somers about the nurse's claim about not having tests but has not heard back.