6 THE QUEENS COURIER • 2020 YEAR IN REVIEW • DECEMBER 24, 2020 FOR BREAKING NEWS VISIT WWW.QNS.COM
2020 year in review
A look at the COVID-19
BY CARLOTTA MOHAMED
cmohamed@schnepsmedia.com
@QNS
Th roughout the COVID-19 pandemic,
Queens residents have shown their resilience,
perseverance and strength in the
battle against the coronavirus that has
taken countless lives, and impacted the
borough’s economic, social and political
landscape.
As COVID-19 swept across the globe, it
had fi nally made its way to New York City
in early spring. In Queens, the fi rst confi
rmed case of the virus was reported in
Far Rockaway on March 7.
Senator James Sanders Jr. announced
that a 33-year-old male Uber driver had
contracted pneumonia and was taken
to Far Rockaway’s St. John’s Espiscopal
Hospital, where he was held in isolation
and closely monitored.
Th e announcement came as Gov.
Andrew Cuomo declared a state of emergency,
as the number of COVID-19
cases had continued to grow statewide.
Meanwhile, Mayor Bill de Blasio warned
that “community spread” was the biggest
threat and urged New Yorkers to avoid
congested spaces and to stay home if
they’re feeling sick.
“Th is virus is going to give us a real
battle. But this virus is no match for the
people of New York City,” de Blasio said.
“Th is city is strong. We will get through
this together.”
It was the beginning of a nightmare that
led to a citywide shutdown to curb the
spread of the virus. On March 16, Cuomo
had ordered bars and restaurants to shut
down, and by March 18, schools were
closed. On March 21, he implemented a
“stay at home” executive order for all nonessential
workers.
Businesses in Queens, such as hair
salons, barber shops, gyms and entertainment
venues closed their doors.
Restaurant owners were allowed to
remain open for pickup and take-out services
only.
By March 23, the mayor’s offi ce reported
there were 13,119 coronavirus patients
citywide. Queens had the most cases of
any borough, with 3,848.
As the pandemic raged on, hospitals
throughout Queens were becoming
fl ooded with COVID-19 patients in their
emergency rooms.
For three weeks in March, NYC Health
+ Hospitals/Elmhurst in Corona had
become the epicenter of the public health
crisis. In one 24-hour period, 13 patients
died and within days refrigerated trucks
were parked outside the facility to handle
the dead.
According to Mitchell Katz, president
and CEO of Health + Hospitals, Elmhurst
Hospital was considered a safe place
where immigrants and uninsured people
go to receive treatment.
Additionally, Katz had said the high
concentration of COVID-19 cases in
Queens stemmed from many families living
together in close quarters.
“While we are practicing social distancing
as a city, you may have multiple families
living in a very small apartment,” Katz
said. “And so, it’s easy to understand why
there’s a lot of transmission of COVID
occurring.”
A report from the Citizens’ Committee
for Children of New York (CCC), found
that those living in areas in higher rates of
overcrowded rental housing — more than
one person per room — such as Jackson
Heights (where 25.7 percent of rental
units are overcrowded), and Elmhurst/
Corona (25.3 percent) had high rates of
positive COVID-19 tests.
Th e study found that predominantly
Black or Latino communities in Queens
were aff ected by the virus; more than half
of residents in the western Queens area
are Latino, and more than half of residents
in southeast Queens are Black.
Th e study also unveiled that one in fi ve
residents in Jackson Heights, Elmhurst
and Corona work in hospitality, accommodations
and restaurants, while one in
fi ve workers in Jamaica, St. Albans and
Queens Village work in health care —
making all of these residents more vulnerable
to catch COVID-19.
As COVID was reaching its peak, hospitals
were becoming overburdened with
patients and lack of resources — a shortage
of personal protective equipment
(PPE), ventilators, medical supplies, and
staff members were becoming sick with
the virus.
To help the city’s straining healthcare
system, hundreds of retired nurses, students
and graduates were deployed for
duty. Additionally, nurses from other
states traveled to New York City to work
in the hospitals.
In recognition of their tireless dedication
to help treat COVID-19 patients,
Queens’ healthcare professionals, among
other frontline essential workers, were
referred to as “heroes.”
Th e community had shown their appreciation
through deliveries of donated
meals, letters and residents cheering on
essential workers daily at 7 p.m. blasting
inspirational music while banging pots
and pans.
In Bayside, residents stood outside their
homes or on the street at a social distance
showing support for local fi rst responders.
“My son is in law enforcement and he’s
out there every day, and we have friends
that are healthcare workers out there during
this pandemic,” said Rita Kashdan, a
board member of the Bayside Hills Civic
Association. “It’s a very diffi cult situation
right now.”
Since hospital staff were working
around the clock, “Fuel the Frontlines,”
a Queens-based initiative to feed hospital
workers in Queens, had prepared 250
pre-cooked meals that were delivered over
the course of a week that began March 29.
Th e joint initiative was organized by
the Queens borough president’s offi ce,
Entrepreneur Space, and Queens Night
Market. Across the borough, community
volunteers were delivering boxes of food
to hospitals.
It came during a challenging time
when Queens hospitals, most notably
Elmhurst Hospital, were facing a surge in
the amount of COVID-19 cases coming
through their doors. By using local businesses,
the initiatives helped small business
owners who were struggling to stay
afl oat during the pandemic.
Meanwhile, hundreds of food insecure
families in Queens were lining up outside
food pantries, as unemployment rates
had soared.
La Jornada Food Pantry, located at 133-
36 Roosevelt Ave., which had been feeding
thousands of Queens families for
years, was put into overdrive since the
pandemic hit the borough in March.
Other grassroots organizations helping
fi ght food insecurity include Th e
Photo by Dean Moses
Photo courtesy of Papa Don NYC
Medical staff at Jamaica Hospital receive a special delivery of Indo-pancakes
from Papa Don NYC
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