Between 10% and 20% of New Yorkers testing positive for the novel coronavirus have attended some sort of gathering, New York City Senior Advisor on Public Health Dr. Jay Varma said on Monday.
The admission came after a Gothamist reporter questioned Mayor Bill de Blasio on whether the city’s health department is tracking how large parties, like those that recently took place on a party boat and under a Brooklyn bridge, are impacting the number of COVID-19 cases in the city.
Hundreds danced under the Kosciuszko Bridge on Saturday night in what was originally a Black Lives Matter protest, the New York Post reported, and the sheriff’s department arrested two promoters of an illegal boat party after the ship returned to dock on the Lower East Side to drop off its over 170 revelers.
“Generally what we are seeing are not too much from outdoor activities,” de Blasio said. “Indoor remains the bigger concern and we have been blessed here in New York City that we have not seen a lot of clusters and people have been handling things right.”
According to data from City Hall, 67 people were admitted to a New York City public hospital with possible COVID-19 symptoms on July 31. Public hospital Intensive Care Units have 262 patients suffering from possible COVID-19 complications and 1% of New York City residents getting tested for the novel coronavirus are testing positive for the virus.
