New data reveals that Bronx residents have the highest rate of positive test for coronavirus antibodies in New York City.
The Bronx had a positive rate of 33% almost a full 5 percentage points above the next borough which is Queens at 28.2% and 6 points above the city average of 27%.
This shouldn’t come as a surprise given that The Bronx was the epicenter of the coronavirus pandemic earlier this year when it all began in New York City.
The borough also lead New York City in a another grim statistic with the highest rates of death due to COVID-19 which appeared link to the fact that residents suffer from multiple comorbidities that put you at greater risk for serious complications like heart disease, diabetes, asthma, and compromised immune systems.
The Bronx is also home to more essential workers than most of the city who had to keep working during the worst of the first wave of this pandemic thus risking being exposed more than the majority of Manhattan residents below 96th street who had jobs where they could work remotely.
As with The Bronx, the other areas in New York City which show the highest rates of antibodies are neighborhoods that are predominantly of color which is in line with how this pandemic has played out across racial lines with Black and people of color having greater risk of not only contracting the virus but at twice the rate of mortality than white counterparts.
While the science of coronavirus antibodies is still being researched, new data suggests that they may provide protection against reinfection for a longer period than previously thought.
This doesn’t mean that we’re out of the clear. A second wave will more than likely come and that still leaves 67% of the population in The Bronx and 73% across NYC without the possible protection of antibodies.
We must continue with best safe practices for the foreseeable future until this scourge is but a painful memory.
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