Highbridge-Morrisania Hardest Hit by Coronavirus in Bronx: Data

March 27, 2020 Kevin Deutsch Bronx, Coronavirus, Health 0

The Highbridge and Morrisania sections of the Bronx appear to account for the borough’s largest concentration of confirmed coronavirus infections—a wave of illness ravaging communities already struggling with high rates of poverty and HIV.

Neighborhood-by-neighborhood data released by the city’s health department for the first time Friday shows much of the Central and East Bronx coping with large numbers of infected COVID-19 patients. The Highbridge and Morrisania communities have the highest percentage of infections among locally tested patients, according to city data current as of March 26.

Highbridge and Morrisania are densely populated areas where rates of poverty, HIV infections, and diabetes are higher than other parts of the borough and city, data shows.

As of 8 a.m. Friday, 4,655 confirmed coronavirus cases had been recorded in the Bronx, according to the city.

Across all five boroughs, at least 366 people have died from the virus, officials said.

About Kevin Deutsch 265 Articles

Kevin Deutsch is a Staff Writer for Bronx Justice News covering the criminal justice system, drugs, and DNA use by law enforcement. An award-winning journalist, Deutsch is the author of the true crime books "Pill City" and "The Triangle." He has worked on staff at the Daily News, Miami Herald, Newsday, The Palm Beach Post, and The Riverdale Press. His work has also appeared in Newsweek, Columbia Journalism Review, The New York Times, The Village Voice, The Forward, The Independent, Huffington Post, Orlando Sentinel, and the New York Post, among other publications. His numerous television appearances include spots on CNN, MSNBC, and C-SPAN's BookTV. He has also been featured in The New Yorker. A Bronx resident, Deutsch hosts the true crime podcast "A Dark Turn" on the Authors on the Air Global Radio Network.