COVID positivity rates in parts of New York City are now over 30%, as the most transmissible variant of the virus yet rages through the region, sparking international concern.
The rolling seven-day positivity rate in Brooklyn's East Flatbush section is up to 30.43%, according to the latest city data. And other boroughs are nearly as bad - positivity rates top 27% in the Astoria section of Queens and 22% in the Hell's Kitchen neighborhood of Manhattan.
In fact, as of Friday morning, more than one-third of all New York City neighborhoods have a COVID positivity rate in excess of 20% -- and four out of every five neighborhoods have positivity rates in excess of 15%.
The rolling hospitalization rates haven't shifted as dramatically, a testament to the power of vaccination, health officials say, though certain neighborhoods in the Bronx and Brooklyn, along with East Harlem in Manhattan, have seen more fluctuation in recent weeks. Hospitalization data from the city lags, which affects the comparison with positivity.
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Here are the top 10 neighborhoods for COVID spread in the city right now, as well as the top 10 neighborhoods in terms of COVID hospitalization rate, according to the health department:
Rolling COVID Positivity Rate by NYC Neighborhood
Rolling COVID Hospitalization Rates by NYC Neighborhood
Another Year, Another Variant: How Concerned Should You Be?
Every new variant seems to be the most transmissible yet, but even by historic standards, XBB.1.5 is something special. Not only is it more contagious generally, but the World Health Organization says it has a mutation that lets it bind more tightly to cells, giving it a growth advantage over other variants.
The upshot? Transmission rates in New York City are up 7% in just the last five days, as this new variant spreads faster here than pretty much anywhere else in the world.
According to the latest CDC data, the agency estimates XBB.1.5.'s prevalence in the New York region to be as high as 80.8%, well above the U.S. estimated high 61%. Nationally, experts say infections associated with the variant, a fusion of two prior omicron strains, are doubling every two weeks, at least.
At this point, the World Health Organization doesn't have any data to indicate it is more lethal or causes more severe cases, but the rate at which it is spreading, especially in the northeastern United States, is raising some questions.
As one top WHO official said this week, "The more this virus circulates, the more opportunity it has to change."
That's why officials at all levels of government and across public health are urging Americans once again to double down on the proven mitigation efforts and to get boosted (and get their kids boosted) if they haven't done so yet.
To schedule an appointment for a booster, New Yorkers should contact their local pharmacy, county health department, or healthcare provider; visit vaccines.gov; text their ZIP code to 438829, or call 1-800-232-0233 to find nearby locations.
