The Bronx reached a few notable thresholds in its continuing fight against COVID-19 over the weekend, as the borough surpassed 200,000 coronavirus cases, along with its 70% vaccination rate for residents.
Entering Wednesday, the Bronx saw an increase of 79 cases, reaching 200,696 cases, which is the third-most in New York City behind Queens and Brooklyn, according to the city’s most recent COVID-19 data.
However, 71% of Bronxites have received at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine and the Bronx’s positive trend in inoculation has extended through the northernmost borough with no Bronx zip code below a 60% vaccination rate.
Overall, 61.9% of Bronx residents are fully vaccinated.
After U.S. health officials gave the final OK for Pfizer’s vaccine for the 5-11 population, vaccination sites popped up in every city school on Monday that serves kids ages 5-11, according to outgoing Mayor Bill de Blasio.
An estimated 400,000 public school students are considered vaccine-eligible under the latest vaccine expansion, according to a spokesperson for the city’s Department of Education. Past vaccination efforts in schools have yielded about 7,000 total immunizations for older children.
Fewer than 0.001% of people who have received a dose experienced a severe adverse reaction, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Children aged 5-11 who receive their vaccination at either school sites or in city-run clinics will receive a $100 gift card for their families, the city announced on Thursday.
Over the past seven days, City Island (10464), Riverdale (10471), Kingsbridge (10463) and Morris Heights (10453) zip codes had caseload[s] higher than the city’s median seven-day average of 5.8 cases per 100,000.
A study conducted by the CUNY School of Public Health showed that New York City residents are more willing to get COVID-19 vaccines than the rest of the country.
The study surveyed 6,037 Americans in mid-April with a particular focus on four large metro areas in different regions of the country: New York City, Chicago, Los Angeles and Dallas.
Reach Robbie Sequeira at rsequeira@schnepsmedia.com or (718) 260-4599. For more coverage, follow us on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram @bronxtimes.
