Bronx booster rates increase to 19.6%
BY ROBBIE SEQUEIRA
Much like the rest of New York City,
the Bronx enters the month of February
with a rapid decline in COVID-19
cases, a sign that the omicron variant
may be in the rearview mirror.
Mayor Eric Adams said during a
Sunday afternoon COVID-19 briefi ng
that NYC’s case count has fallen by
more than 80% since early January,
and the Bronx’s numbers on Monday
refl ected that the borough’s positivity
rate has fallen from 34.8% to 7.8% over
the past three weeks.
The city’s median seven-day average
stands at 47.3 cases per 100,000 entering
Monday, and only two Bronx
zip codes — Fieldston’s 10471 and
Parkchester’s 10462 — have higher
rates at 59.9 and 50.8 cases per 100,000
residents.
The Bronx managed to get through
the peak of the omicron surge with a
seven-day average of 1,076 hospitalizations
and 21 deaths over the past four
weeks, thanks to its vaccination rate
— 83.9% of Bronxites have received
at least one-dose of the vaccine. The
borough is also seeing a climb in its
booster rates, as 19.6% of Bronx residents
have received the COVID-19
booster, a rate that has increased over
the past few weeks.
The Bronx’s numbers on Monday refl ected a waning of the omicron variant as the borough’s positivity rate has fallen from 34.8% to 7.8%
over the past three weeks.
Hospitalizations throughout the
city varied among the vaccinated and
unvaccinated populations, as 83.9% of
unvaccinated patients made up most of
the city’s hospitalizations last week.
BRONX TIMES R 4 REPORTER, FEB. 4-10, 2022 BTR
And more tools for New Yorkers
looking to stave off COVID-19 appear
to be on the way, as Adams announced
that New York City would begin to offer
same-day delivery of at-home antiviral
pills to combat the virus. Priority
is given for city residents who test positive
and are at higher risk for severe
outcomes to the disease, Adams said.
And while the fi ve boroughs lost
more than 2,300 people to COVID-19
within the past month, hospitalizations
and fatalities have also been on
the decline, the mayor said.
Paxlovid, a pill developed by Pfi zer,
and molnupiravir, from Merck — both
of which have been authorized by the
Food and Drug Administration — are
the two treatments being made available
by the city.
“We’re not resting — we’re bringing
even more help directly to New
Yorkers’ front doors. We’re offering
high-risk New Yorkers, free, at-home
delivery of #COVID19 antiviral pills to
prevent serious illness and keep people
out of the hospital,” the mayor wrote in
a tweet.
Paxlovid is the “preferred oral antiviral,”
the city’s website said, while
Merck’s pill is designated for adults
whom alternative FDA-authorized COVID
19 treatment options are not accessible
or clinically appropriate since
it comes with some safety risks, especially
for pregnant women.
The city is also urging more vaccinations
among the state’s youngest eligible
population, as the city’s health
commissioner, Dr. Dave Chokshi,
noted that 36% of children ages 5-12
are fully vaccinated. In the city, 85%
of adults and 76% of children ages 13-17
are fully vaccinated.
“To date, only 36% of children ages
fi ve to 12 are fully vaccinated,” he said.
“So I urge all parents to extend the protection
of vaccination to your kids and
consult with your pediatrician on any
lingering questions.”
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