By Eric Klein
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Bronx residents infected with coronavirus are dying at double the rate of COVID-19 patients elsewhere in New York City, according to a new report.
An analysis of city Department of Health data by the nonprofit news outlet The City found Bronxites are twice as likely to succumb to the virus. As of April 2, residents of the borough accounted for one in four coronavirus hospitalizations citywide, the analysis showed, and were dying at three times the rate of infected Manhattan residents.
Behind the troubling data are a host of long-standing public health problems: The Bronx has the city’s highest rates of asthma, diabetes, and infant mortality, and includes some of the poorest neighborhoods in America.
Despite the virus’ devastating impact locally, there is still no COVID-19 testing center in the South Bronx, the nation’s most impoverished congressional district—and one that has been disproportionately impacted by COVID-19.
As of Saturday morning, city officials had recorded 514 coronavirus deaths and 11,497 total infections in the Bronx.