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Although the city’s health department describes the condition COVID-19 in the five districts as ‘stable’, nine communities in Brooklyn and Queens still see high infection rates of more than 10%.
Interestingly, the city communities that measure the most COVID-19 tests also have the lowest infection rates nationwide.
Even with the availability of the COVID-19 vaccine, New York City currently has one of the highest infection rates in the country – and the needle has not been moving down for some time.
The positivity rate in New York has been flat for more than two weeks; On March 18, it stood at 6.54%, but on March 31, it grew to 6.72%, according to the city’s health department.
While not a dramatic growth in the virus, it appears to underscore the health department’s repeated warnings about more contagious COVID-19 variants still spreading throughout the city. The agency reported on Wednesday that 70% of all new cases in the five districts are due to different strains of the virus rather than ‘COVID classic’.
As a percentage, the sea community of Breezy Point (zip code 11697), at the western tip of the Rockaway Peninsula in Queens, has the highest 7-day positivity rate in the city, at 12.42%. However, the area has only 3,702 inhabitants. Between March 23 and 29, the Department of Health cataloged 19 new cases of COVID-19 in the community.
However, five other Queens communities, each much higher than Breezy Point, recorded 7-day positivity rates of more than 10% during the same period (March 23-29).
Flushing / Murray Hill / Queensboro Hill (zip code 11355) recorded a population of 85,871, but also a positive percentage of 12.15%, with 302 new COVID-19 cases.
Woodhaven (zip code 11421) has 43,567 residents, but also a positive percentage of 10.84%, with 146 new cases.
21,202 people in Belle Harbor / Neponsit / Rockaway Park (zip code 11694), just a few miles east of Breezy Point, had a positive rate of 7 days between March 23 and 29 was 10.78%, with 84 new cases. recorded.
Two adjacent communities – South Richmond Hill (zip code 11419) and South Ozone Park (11420) are also more than the 10% infection point. South Richmond Hill, with a population of 47,211, has a positive percentage of 10.57%, while South Ozone Park, where 44,354 people live, has an infection rate of 10.18%. Both communities each had 151 new COVID-19 cases in the past week.
Meanwhile, three neighborhoods in Brooklyn achieved high COVID-19 positivity rates between March 23 and 29.
Sunset Park (zip code 11220, population 93,170) leads the whole of Brooklyn with a positive rate of 11.96% and 329 new cases, followed by Brighton Beach / Coney Island / Seagate (zip code 11224, population 45,244) with a positive rate of 10.58% and 167 new cases; and Brighton Beach / Manhattan Beach / Sheepshead Bay (zip code 11235, population 79,132) with a positive rate of 10.07% and 224 new cases.
In the past week, most new cases were found in Queens in Corona / North Corona (zip code 11368), with 333 new cases, four more than Sunset Park and 31 more than Flushing / Murray Hill / Queensboro Hill. The community’s 7-day positivity rate of 8.72%.
Cypress Hills / East New York, Brooklyn (zip code 11208), was fourth in total new cases with 300 (positivity rate 8.84%), followed by Elmhurst, Queens (zip code 11373) with 270 new cases (positivity rate 8.74% ).
Meanwhile, Manhattan still has the lowest infection rates in the city – and it is no coincidence that they also have the highest per capita test rates.
Eight of the ten communities in New York City with the most people tested per capita are in Manhattan. The best average daily test rate was in East Village / Greenwich Village / Gramercy (zip code 10003), with 1,299 per 100,000 people – but only a 7-day positivity rate of 2.64%, the 14th lowest percentage in the five districts .
Greenwich Village / SoHo (zip code 10012) has the second best average daily test rate at 1,218 per 100,000, but a positive rate of 2.94%, followed by Central Harlem / Morningside Heights / West Harlem (zip code 10027) with 1,114 per 100,000 tested and a 3.24% positivity rate; Manhattan Valley / Morningside Heights / Upper West Side (zip code 10025) tested with 1,146 per 100,000 and a positive rate of 1.99%.
Long Island City, Queens (zip code 11109) was the only area outside of Manhattan that beat the top 5 in testing, with 1,093 per 100,000 tested and a positive percentage of 3.96%.
Conversely, the five areas with the lowest average daily test rates had 7-day positivity rates of more than 5%, but ironically, none of the communities exceeded 10%.
In the Borough Park area of Brooklyn (zip code 11219), only 289 per 100,000 people were tested for COVID-19, but its positivity rate is 8.61%. This is followed by Fresh Meadows / Hillcrest in Queens (zip code 11366), with 366 per 100,000 tested and a positive rate of 8.08%; Bensonhurst / Mapleton, Brooklyn (zip code 11204) tested with 383 per 100,000 and a positivity rate of 9.51%; Flushing / Murray Hill, Queens (zip code 11354) tested with 393 per 100,000 and a positive rate of 9.89%; and Bellerose / Douglaston / Little Neck (zip codes 11004 and 11005) with 417 per 100,000 tested and a positive rate of 6.62%.
Despite the fluctuating numbers, COVID-19 continues to spread across New York City, making thousands of New Yorkers sick every day and still killing many of them every week.
The governors’ office reported another 43 COVID-19 deaths on April 1 – 19 in Brooklyn, 10 in Manhattan, 9 in Queens, 3 in the Bronx and 2 on Staten Island.
To date, more than 31,000 New Yorkers have died from COVID-19 since March 1, 2020 – the day the virus was officially detected here.