Coronavirus: in New York, the Corona district among the most affected

Nearly 50,000 people tested positive, 1,562 deaths: New York is more than ever the epicenter of the pandemic in the United States. A pandemic that is spreading differently according to the districts of the city, according to data published Wednesday by the town hall. This shows strong disparities between the wealthiest neighborhoods and those clearly disadvantaged. Most affected? The one from … Corona, in Queens.

In this part of Queens, 9 in 1,000 people have the virus, compared to 5 in 1,000 city-wide and 2 in 1,000 in some affluent areas of lower Manhattan. As of March 31, 947 cases had been identified. According to the latest figures, the district of Corona is affected by severe impoverishment: the average annual salary is $ 48,000 per year, while the median salary in New York is $ 60,000.

Not far from Corona, the districts of Elmhurst and Jackson Heights are also affected. Neighborhoods where about 80% of the population is of Hispanic or Asian origin. “In Queens, because of poverty, many families live together in small spaces. […] It is easy to understand why there is a high rate of transmission of Covid-19 “, explained on the site thecity.nyc New York Public Hospitals Director Mitchell Katz.

To cope with the influx of patients, places are transformed into hospitals, including one of the buildings of the tennis complex in Flushing Meadows, in the district of Queens. Hotels are intended to accommodate people infected but not seriously ill.

Across the East River, the number of cases is dropping significantly. Of the twenty least affected neighborhoods in New York City, nineteen are located in areas of Manhattan where the average salary is very high. However, the peninsula is also preparing for the wave. A dozen tents erected in Central Park since Sunday are preparing to accommodate up to 70 patients sick with the virus from nearby Mount Sinai hospital. After eight days of work carried out by the United States Army Corps of Engineers, the Javits Center conference center in Manhattan is now operational, with nearly 3,000 beds for patients without the coronavirus, to allow hospitals to focus on the epidemic.