When it comes to the coronavirus, the postal code in which you live may have made all the difference.
New York City this week published the results of about 1.5 million antibody tests, and they confirmed how deeply the virus affected lower-income communities. Results from rich weeks tell a different story: No zip code under 96th Street in Manhattan had positive anti-hook results above 20 percent.
In a recent article, my colleague Joseph Goldstein wrote that these results provide insight into which weeks were hit the hardest, and whether some communities may have achieved herd immunity.
Here are five excerpts from that article:
The new data are on a larger scale than previous test results.
Previous antibody data have been relatively limited. An April survey by the office of MM Momo’s minister, which tested 28,419 people in the state, suggested that about 21 percent of New York City’s residents had antibodies to the coronavirus.
The new antibody data from the city included more than 15 percent of the city’s residents, and showed that more than 27 percent of the tests were positive.
“This gives us a sense of a deeper level of the extent of the penetration of the infection into the population,” Wafaa El-Sadr, a professor of epidemiology at Columbia University, told Mr. Goldstein.
Hard-hit areas can be better protected in a second wave.
The city has reached its lowest percentage of positive virus tests, 0.24 percent, since the pandemic began, Mayor Bill de Blasio said on Wednesday. But Mr Cuomo said the same day that the figure was 0.8 per cent.
Despite the discrepancy, both figures indicate that the city has contracted the virus for the most part. Still, health experts are warning of a second wave, and much is unknown about the protection that coronavirus antibodies provide.
But there may be some good news for neighborhoods like Corona, Queens, which were devastated by the virus in March and April: Some researchers are hoping that herd immunity requires about half of the community.
In one postcode in Corona, 51.6 percent of the people tested had antibodies.
Large households were particularly vulnerable.
The hard-hit hit code in the city actually belonged to Corona, which is home to many construction and restaurant workers who continue with their jobs due to the height of the virus crisis. The neighborhood also has a particularly high rate of adult households, which may have contributed to greater rates of infection.
The tight-knit Hasidic Jewish community in Borough Park, Brooklyn, was also hit hard. The district, where larger households are also common, registered it at two to highest rates of positive antibody tests.
Children were more likely to have antibodies.
More than 32 percent of the children tested were positive, making those 17 and below the most likely age group have antibodies.
However, children were the least likely age group to test for antibodies, so these data do not add much insight into the city’s public schools having to reopen.
Police on Long Island arrested a man who was charged threatens to shoot at a Jewish children’s camp about a social distancing complaint. [New York Post]
Krispy Kreme opens a store in Times Square with a donut glass waterfall. [Eater New York]
And finally: Cabs and the coronavirus
Readers of New York Today were recently invited to ask our reporters questions about the effects of the pandemic on city life. Katherine McGuinness, who lives in TriBeCa, wanted to learn about the impact on the already struggling taxi sector.
The coronavirus breaks out>
Frequently Asked Questions
Updated August 17, 2020
-
Why does standing six feet apart help others?
- The coronavirus spreads primarily by drips from your mouth and nose, especially when you cough or sneeze. The CDC, one of the organizations using this measure, bases its six-foot recommendation on the idea that most large droplets that expel people when they cough or sneeze fall within six feet to the ground. But six feet has never been a magic number that guarantees complete protection. Noses, for example, can launch drops much farther than six feet, according to a recent study. It’s a rule of thumb: you need to be the safest to stand six feet apart, especially when it’s windy. But always wear a mask, even if you think you are far enough apart.
-
I have antibodies. Am I immune now?
- At the moment, that probably seems like at least several months. There have been horrific accounts of people suffering from what appears to be a second bolt of Covid-19. But experts say these patients may have a prolonged course of infection, with the virus taking a slow toll weeks to months after initial exposure. People infected with the coronavirus typically produce immune molecules called antibodies, which are protective proteins made in response to an infection. These antibodies may only last two to three months in the body, which may seem worrying, but that is perfectly normal after an acute infection progresses, said Dr. Michael Mina, an immunologist at Harvard University. It could possibly get the coronavirus back up, but it is highly unlikely that it would be possible in a short window of time from initial infection or the second time safe.
-
I am a small business owner. Can I get relief?
- The incentive bills introduced in March provide assistance to the millions of American small businesses. Those eligible for support are non-profit companies and organizations with less than 500 workers, including sole proprietorships, independent contractors and freelancers. Some larger companies in some sectors are also eligible. The assistance provided, which is managed by the Small Business Administration, includes the Paycheck Protection Program and the Economic Damage Disaster Program. But many people have not seen payments yet. Even those who have received help are confused: the rules are draconian, and some are stuck on money they do not know how to use. Many small business owners get less than they expected or heard nothing at all.
-
What are my rights if I am worried about returning to work?
-
What will school look like in September?
- It is unlikely that many schools will return to a regular schedule this fall, requiring the grinding of online learning, easy childcare and stunted workdays to continue. The two largest public school districts of California – Los Angeles and San Diego – said on July 13 that instruction will be remote only in the fall, citing concerns that growing coronavirus infections in their areas pose too great a risk to students and teachers. Together, the two districts enroll about 825,000 students. They are the largest in the country to date to abandon plans for even a partial physical return to classes when they reopen in August. For other districts, the solution will not be an all-or-nothing approach. Many systems, including the nation’s largest, New York City, are creating hybrid plans that include some days attending classrooms and other days online. There is no national policy yet, so check regularly with your municipal school system to see what is happening in your municipality.
“I have lived in New York City for four years, and I miss the lifestyle and sounds of the city – many of which provide cabins,” she said. ‘I realized I did not know how they did it. A cab ride is an experience that most New Yorkers can relate to, and one that always excites me. When people stay outside their offices and close to home, it is difficult to imagine that they will end up in a cabin in the foreseeable future. “
Brian Rosenthal, who last year published an exhibition of predatory loans in the taxi medallion sector, waited in:
“The coronavirus pandemic has devastated the taxi industry in New York City,” he said. “Many drivers sit in high-risk groups; dozens have died, and many are unable to work. ”
He went on to say: ‘Before the pandemic, about 11,500 yellow cabins were operating on the streets of the city. A recent study by the city found that amid a collapse in the company, that number dropped to about 2,200 in April, and it only reached about 3,000 at the end of June. Over all, ridership and revenue have dropped by nearly 90 percent.
“All this came at a time when the sector was already in crisis, especially for drivers who have medals, the city permits that leave their own cab. Many immigrant drivers were forced to sign large loans to buy medals they could not. Before the pandemic, officials had discussed a bailout for owners of medals who were in predatory loans, but that was halted when the virus began to spread.
“The only sludge of good news was that lenders did not force drivers to make loan payments during the pandemic, which would be a bit of a delay, as the sector hopes it will be able to recover.”
It’s Thursday – be jealous.
Metropolitan Diary: Late apology
Dear diary:
To the woman I fell on the train that morning: I’m sorry, and I feel terrible for the way things turned out.
You see, when I got on the train, I was in that awkward position of not being at a pole I could hold on to. The only thing I could do was push my palm to the ceiling of the subway and pray that I would not lose my footing.
Finally, as you know, I lost it. I could tell by the look you gave me when you shook your head that you were completely overwhelmed.
I did not say that I was sorry because I was in a particularly bad mood. I was tired, and I had not gotten much sleep the night before. You had the right to get bored with me. No one wants a tall 16-year-old with a heavy backpack on her tumble on her way to work.
If you can not accept my apology, I fully understand it. If I had the chance to take that ride again, I would hold on to the ceiling with a tighter grip, and, if I lose my balance again, apologize personally.
I wish you a life of peaceful commutes on no. 3. I hope such a thing never happens to you again.
With sense, the tall boy who fell on you that morning.
– John Bloch
New York Today is published weekdays at 6 p.m. Sign up here to receive it by email. You can also find it at nytoday.com.
We are experimenting with the format of New York Today. What would you like to see more (or less) of? Leave a comment or email us: [email protected].
