From the ABC article:
Cuomo, a Democrat, on May 10 reversed the directive, which had been intended to help free up hospital beds for the sickest patients as cases surged. But he continued to defend it this week, saying he didn't believe it contributed to the more than 5,800 nursing and adult care facility deaths in New York — more than in any other state — and that homes should have spoken up if it was a problem.
5800 nursing home deaths out of 32,000. Sending patients back to nursing homes was stupid, but it doesn't come close to accounting for the spike in and of itself.