Entering Monday, Bronx County has reached 187,552 confirmed COVID-19 cases, with a seven-day average of 308 newly confirmed cases per day — including 656 reported cases on Aug. 27 — according to the state’s recent health data.
It’s the first time since April 27, that the Bronx has approached a daily caseload of 300 new cases. The Bronx has a boroughwide positivity rate of 4.1%.
The latest New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene data, however, revealed that the percentage of New Yorkers testing positive for COVID-19, and the hospitalization rate, continue to decrease. Over the last 28 days, the daily positivity rate stands at 4.1%, while over the past week, an average of 77 people have been hospitalized per day.
This third wave of COVID-19 cases in the five boroughs can be largely blamed on the highly contagious, very potent Delta variant of the virus, which the city Health Department says accounts for about 97% of all new infections.
According to the state’s vaccination data, 825,423 people, or 58.2% of Bronx residents have received at least one dose and 700,916 residents (48.4%) are fully vaccinated, which has stalled in the past week and is tied with Kings County for lowest among the five boroughs.
Allerton/Baychester/Pelham Parkway/Williamsbridge (10467) – 5.5%
Country Club/Throggs Neck (10465) – 5.3%
According to COVID Act Now, the Bronx has the highest vulnerability rate to COVID-19, a metric based on economic and physical challenges as well as predicted time of recovery from COVID-19.
The five boroughs overall are seeing COVID case rates decline after weeks of increases, attributing decreases to increased vaccinations as well as precautions, including masking and social distancing.
Dr. Anthony Fauci, the nation’s top infectious disease expert, believes the pandemic’s end could come by March 2022 — depending on continued efforts to contain COVID-19 — noting there’s still progress to be made to vaccinate the country’s 80-90 million unvaccinated people.
Reach Robbie Sequeira at rsequeira@schnepsmedia.com or (718) 260-4599. For more coverage, follow us on Twitter @bronxtimes and Facebook @bronxtimes.
