No 'smoking gun' in Richmond Hill COVID spike, city says
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Michael Appleton/Mayoral Photography Office
By David Brand
A startling spike in Richmond Hill’s COVID test positivity rate does not seem linked to any specific “super spreader” events, Mayor Bill de Blasio said Monday.
Richmond Hill’s zip code 11418 is now home to New York City’s second highest seven-day COVID test positivity rate — 4.43 percent — according to newly published data from the city’s Health Department.
Citywide, the seven-day average positivity rate reached 2.26 percent Monday, as at least 4,778 New Yorkers tested positive for COVID-19 over the past week, the data shows. Both figures represent disturbing increases.
De Blasio said the city does not suspect the rise in Richmond Hill is linked to specific events or gatherings.
“New York City has not seen major sites driving the spread as you’ve seen in other parts of the country, where you can identify the outbreak to a specific site,” de Blasio said. “We have not had that here. It’s much more diffuse.”
De Blasio downplayed the possible link between rising COVID rates and in-person schooling. He cited Department of Education data that found that roughly 1 in 1,000 students attending in-person classes have tested positive for COVID.
Residents have also expressed concern about crowding inside polling places during early voting and on Election Day.
Health Department Deputy Commissioner Dr. Torian Easterling backed up his boss. He said the rise is likely the result of people spending more time indoors as the weather gets colder and the days shorter.
“The data does not really point to any smoking gun,” Easterling said. “There isn’t a super spreader event.”
Richmond Hill borders the Central Queens cluster zone that last month spurred the state to establish tiered COVID restrictions, including school and business closures. The state lifted those restrictions two weeks later.
The 4.43 percent seven-day average positivity rate in zip code 11418 — which covers the northern section of Richmond Hill — trails only Tottenville in Staten Island, which has recorded a 6.57 percent rate
Two other Queens zip codes rank among the ten highest seven-day COVID positivity rates in the city. Zip code 11693, which covers all of Broad Channel, and 11423, which includes Hollis and Holliswood, are each at roughly 3.85 percent.
The data released by the city does not provide more detailed information about which specific parts of the zip codes are seeing the biggest COVID spikes, however. Hollis and Holliswood, for example, are two markedly different communities.
De Blasio and Easterling urged New Yorkers to remain vigilant and continue wearing masks and avoiding large gatherings, particularly with holidays approaching.
Richmond Hill, home to a large South Asian community, has been the site of celebrations ahead of Diwali on Nov. 14. But at an event covered by the Eagle Saturday, most participants wore face masks while they watched performers.
People across New York City have gathered in huge crowds to celebrate the victory of Joe Biden in the presidential election Saturday and Sunday, though outdoor events have not been linked to large COVID outbreaks in the city. Ahead of the election, large groups of Trump supporters rallied in Staten Island.
De Blasio said the new data demonstrate that the illness is spiking in communities regardless of residents’ background or ideology.
“It’s been different ethnicities, different communities, different faiths, different boroughs,” de Blasio said.
The Health Department had faced persistent criticism for failing to release COVID positivity rates at a zip code or community-level, something the agency had been doing in September.
Health Commissioner Dr. Dave Chokshi on Monday said such data was the “lifeblood” of the city’s COVID response efforts.
“An informed and watchful city is one the best defenses against COVID-19,” Chokshi said. “However, regardless of what may be happening in your neighborhood, we encourage everyone to continue wearing their masks, keeping their distance, washing their hands, getting tested, and staying home if ill.”
Do you live in Richmond Hill, Broad Channel, Hollis or Holliswood? What are you seeing?
Email Editor David Brand at david@queenspublicmedia.com
