While a not-so-silent minority of individuals continue to seethe over the city’s new COVID-19 vaccine mandate for its municipal workforce, the latest statistics from the New York City Health Department continue to show progress in curtailing the virus’ spread through vaccinations.
Just three areas of the Five Boroughs saw a 7-day positivity rate above 3%, and only 20 communities had a rate above 2%, between Oct. 20 and 26, according to the city’s Health Department. On the flip side, 68 communities registered a positivity rate of less than 1%, and 56 neighborhoods had fewer than 10 new COVID-19 cases reported during the same period.
Even better news can be found in the citywide transmission rate, which tracks the virus’ spread across the city. The 7-day transmission rate as of Oct. 24 was down to 59.71 new cases per 100,000 people, which represents a “substantial” level of spread. But that number has been trending downward for weeks now, and the rate could fall into “moderate” spread by this time next week.
Transmission of COVID-19, however, remains highest on Staten Island, which recorded a rate of 107.95 cases per 100,000 residents — nearly twice the citywide transmission rate.
Two of the three communities with a 7-day positivity rate above 3% between Oct. 20-26 were on The Rock: Annadale/Rossville (10312), which had the highest rate at 3.42% and 69 new cases; and Tottenville (10307), which clocked in third-highest at 3.14% with 18 new cases.
But Brooklyn communities dominated the list of most new COVID-19 positive patients between Oct. 20-26, with five neighborhoods having 50 or more new cases. The most were detected in East Williamsburg/Williamsburg (11211) with 108, followed by Borough Park (11219) with 99, Midwood (11230) with 76, Gravesend/Homecrest (11223) with 61, and Bensonhurst/Mapleton (11204) with 56.
Again, the common denominator for the 10 communities with the highest new COVID-19 cases over the past week remains lower levels of vaccination. Nine of them had less than 70% of residents having received at least one dose of the vaccine, with Borough Park at the bottom of the barrel, with 48% of its 90,083 residents with at least one dose and 44% fully vaccinated.
Borough Park was the lone community on that list with a fully vaccinated rate below 50%. Lighthouse Hill/Midland Beach/New Dorp on Staten Island was the one area on the list with vaccination rates of 70% or higher.
On the vaccination front, just 13 communities now have less than 60% of their residents having received at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine, the vast majority of which are in one borough:
Brooklyn — Borough Park (11219, 48%); Bedford-Stuyvesant/Clinton Hill (11205, 55%); Midwood (11230, 55%); Flatlands/Midwood (11210, 56%); Bedford-Stuyvesant/Ocean Hill (11233, 56%), Crown Heights (11213, 57%), South Williamsburg (11206, 57%); East Williamsburg/Williamsburg (11211, 58%); Brighton Beach/Coney Island/Seagate (11224, 59%).
Queens — Edgemere/Far Rockaway (11691, 52%); Arverne/Edgemere (11692, 57%); Arverne/Broad Channel (11693, 59%).
Staten Island — Tottenville (10307, 58%).
Meanwhile, 25 ZIP codes of New York City have at least 90% of their residents with at least one dose of the vaccine:
Manhattan — Chelsea/NoMad (10001, 99%); Financial District (10004/10006, 99%); Tribeca (10007, 99%); East Midtown/Murray Hill (10017, 99%); Hell’s Kitchen/Midtown (10018, 10019, 10036, 99%); East Midtown (10022, 98%), Lower Manhattan (10005, 96%); Kips Bay (10016, 95%); Lincoln Square (10069, 91%); Lenox Hill/Upper East Side (10075, 90%).
Queens — Astoria/Long Island City (11001, 99%); Flushing/Murray Hill/Queensboro Hill (11355, 99%); Jackson Heights (11372, 99%); Elmhurst (11373, 99%); Breezy Point (11697, 96%); Flushing/Murray Hill (11354, 96%); College Point (11356, 93%); East Elmhurst (11369, 93%); Long Island City (11109, 92%); Astoria (11102, 91%); Auburndale/Murray Hill (11358, 90%).
Brooklyn — Sunset Park (11220, 96%).
Overall, as of Oct. 31, 73% of all New Yorkers (6,121,136 of 8,336,817 residents) have had at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine. Manhattan and Queens continue to lead the way in the vaccination front, followed by Staten Island, the Bronx and Brooklyn.
While breakthrough COVID-19 cases continue to occur, the overwhelming number of infections in New York City involved unvaccinated individuals, the city’s Health Department noted. Since Jan. 17 of this year, the city has reported 519,676 COVID-19 infections among unvaccinated individuals, and just 48,640 breakthrough cases among vaccinated people.
Hospitalizations and deaths related to the virus remain extraordinarily higher among unvaccinated New Yorkers, the Health Department noted.
