Omicron scorches on
Manhattan neighborhoods still getting hit hard by COVID
BY ROBERT POZARYCKI
Tens of thousands of New
Yorkers contracted COVID
19 last week due
to the fast-moving Omicron
variant, and while the new
infections caused exponential
spikes in transmission and
positivity rates, it has not yet
resulted in a hospitalization
crisis similar to what the city
experienced at the start of the
pandemic.
Looking at the latest data
from the city’s Department of
Health and Mental Hygiene,
the spread of COVID-19 across
the Five Boroughs is shocking
to comprehend. Eighteen
neighborhoods recorded a 7-day
positivity rate of 40% or higher,
and 117 communities had a
positivity rate of 30% or higher,
between Dec. 24-30, 2021. The
one New York City area with
the lowest 7-day positivity rate
for the period was Tribeca, at
17.24%.
These are positivity rates
not seen even during the fi rst
deadly wave of the COVID-19
pandemic in March-April 2020.
LOCAL NEWS
New York entered 2022 with COVID-19 exploding across the city at unprecedented rates.
But while the virus is spreading
at an exponential rate today,
hospitalizations and deaths
— while steadily increasing in
recent weeks — are far lower
than they were during the fi rst
wave thanks to vaccinations
and COVID-19 treatments now
available.
For example, on Dec. 30, the
city’s Department of Health
catalogued a 7-day daily case
average of 28,386, but the daily
hospitalization rate on a 7-day
average was 447, and the daily
death rate on a 7-day average
was 27. By comparison, during
the fi rst wave, on April 9, 2020,
the city reported 7-day averages
of 5,389 cases, 1,535 hospitalizations
and 755 deaths.
That should give New Yorkers
REUTERS/DIEU-NALIO CHERY
some reassurance that the
current Omicron-fueled COVID
19 crisis hasn’t brought the
city back to square one when it
comes to beating the pandemic.
Still, the fast-spreading variant
of COVID-19 is infecting New
Yorkers on an unprecedented
scale.
The city’s 7-day positivity average
is now fl irting with 20%,
and every borough of New York
has a transmission rate exceeding
2,000 cases per 100,000
people (the citywide transmission
rate is 2,383.45 per
100,000).
While Manhattan had seen
a huge spike in cases over the
previous two weeks, the city’s
Health Department reported
a massive surge in the Bronx.
The borough had 12 of the 15
areas of New York City with the
highest 7-day positivity rates between
Dec. 24-30, each of them
40% or higher.
East Harlem (10029) had the
third-most cases in the city during
the period, with 2,075 cases
and a 38.64% positivity rate.
On the fl ip side, just 10 areas
of New York City had 100 or
fewer new COVID-19 diagnoses
between Dec. 24-30. Seven
of the areas were in Manhattan;
the Financial District (10004)
had the fewest new cases for
the period at 41, but their 7-day
positivity rate was 20.5% for
the period.
The virus continues to infect
unvaccinated New Yorkers
at a far higher rate than those
who’ve received COVID-19
vaccines and boosters previously.
Manhattan Borough President
Mark Levine, citing Health
Department statistics, reported
that unvaccinated New Yorkers
are now 32 times more likely to
be hospitalized with COVID-19
symptoms than their vaccinated
counterparts.
Subway lines shut due to sick crew
BY KEVIN DUGGAN
Three subway lines have
been out of service for
a week as the Metropolitan
Transportation Authority
struggles from staffi ng
shortages due to the surge
in COVID-19.
Exactly how many workers
are out sick remains unknown,
as the MTA continued to withhold
information about how
badly the massive agency is
affected by the spread of the
virus, declining to give positivity
rates, despite repeated
requests.
“Like every business and
agency in the region, the MTA
is navigating through a spike
in workforce positive COVID
test results,” said agency
spokesman Aaron Donovan
in a statement Sunday, Jan. 2.
“The Authority is proactively
managing to ensure continuation
of reliable service 24/7 to
every subway station.”
New York City Transit,
which manages the subways
and buses, took the B, Z, and
W lines out of service with
announcements on Twitter
just before the Dec. 30, 2021
morning rush, and MTA plans
to keep them offl ine as New
Yorkers return to work and
school after the winter break.
All three trains run on routes
also served by other lines, and
the agency is redirecting crews
to ensure continued service on
all other lines.
The agency reported cancellations
on fi ve subway lines
over the New Year’s Eve weekend,
including the D, A, L, E,
and R, and the Staten Island
Railway, according to an am-
NewYork Metro review of
NYCT’s Twitter accounts.
On buses, there were a
whopping 52 cancelled runs
during that time, 44 of which
were on Dec. 31 and largely affecting
express bus routes.
Subway ridership compared
to pre-pandemic levels slowed
in December as the new COVID
variant took hold in the
Five Boroughs, down to 50%
as of the latest count from Dec.
29, following a rise to highs of
almost 75% in November.
Bus ridership rates compared
to 2019 are also down
from similar peaks last month,
but remain higher at more than
60% as of Dec. 29.
Donovan declined to give a
current infection or vaccination
rates among staff — both
fi gures the agency previously
made available upon request.
It is unclear how many employees
are out sick, but MTA
acting Chairperson and CEO
A motorman checks the tracks.
Janno Lieber told WNYC on
Dec. 30 it was at least 1,000 out
of the agency’s 67,000-strong
workforce, adding that some
might be out on vacation.
One good government advocate
said transit offi cials must
be more forthcoming with
their data.
“Being transparent about the
FILE PHOTO/DEAN MOSES
workforce impacts the MTA is
facing due to COVID will only
help riders better understand
how and why service is being
affected,” said Rachael Fauss
of the group Reinvent Albany.
“Further, sharing data will aid
policymakers like our state legislators
in making decisions to
help the MTA.”
Schneps Media January 6, 2022 3