Harlem COVID Cases Rise As NYC Enters New Risk Level, Data Shows
HARLEM, NY — The rise in COVID-19 cases across New York City has not spared Harlem, which has seen an increase in positivity amid the presence of new subvariants, according to city data.
The jump has been caused by BA.2, a highly contagious subvariant of omicron, which now makes up more than half of the city's new cases, according to its most recent data.
In Harlem, testing data shows that cases began rising in early March and have mostly continued climbing since then. In the week that ended on April 29, a total of 398 Harlemites tested positive for COVID-19 — a 5.9 percent positivity rate.
That's roughly the same rate that the neighborhood recorded in mid-December, during the early days of the first omicron wave that ultimately peaked weeks later, when Harlem's positivity rates approached 40 percent. It's also a significant rise from February and early March, when Harlem's positivity rates hovered around 1 percent or lower.
Still, unlike the coronavirus's first, brutal wave in 2020, Harlem has actually been less hard-hit by the latest rise than some other neighborhoods. Chelsea's 10011 ZIP code, for example, recorded a 14.44 percent positivity rate during the most recent week, while the Upper East Side's 10128 ZIP code stood at 10.5 percent.
In any case, the citywide trend has been clear: on Monday, New York City's case count surpassed 200 per 100,000 people, causing the city's risk alert level to be upgraded to "medium" from the "low" level where it had stood for months.
"As a practical matter, what this means for New Yorkers is that they must exercise even greater caution than they have the last few weeks," Health Commissioner Ashwin Vasan said in a statement.
Weeks earlier, Vasan and other health officials had warned that the city's risk alert would likely change to a level indicating increased danger for vulnerable New Yorkers, such as those who are older or have underlying health conditions.
The city saw more than 2,500 new COVID-19 cases on Saturday, according to state health department data. On March 1, there were 788 new cases, data showed. Importantly, hospitalizations and deaths remain low in the city, which is currently averaging about 50 new hospitalizations and four to five new deaths per day, as the New York Times reported Monday.
Vasan, in his announcement, didn't outline any renewed mandates. Instead, he continued to encourage — not require — New Yorkers to wear masks in public indoor settings.
New Yorkers should continue to get vaccinations and recommended booster doses, he said.
"The coming weeks will be critical to slowing the spread of COVID-19 and getting back to a Low risk level so we can more safely enjoy our spring," he said in a statement. "And remember, the steps you take to protect yourself also protect others, especially those most vulnerable."
Related coverage: NYC Now At 'Medium' COVID-19 Risk Alert, Officials Say
Patch reporter Matt Troutman contributed.
Harlem COVID Cases Rise As NYC Enters New Risk Level, Data Shows originally appeared on the Harlem Patch
