These are the neighborhoods of New York most affected by the coronavirus

Researchers at New York University’s Furman Center, which studies housing, neighborhoods, and urban politics, uncovered clues about Which areas of the city, the epicenter of the coronavirus outbreak in the United States, are currently the hardest hit.

Experts analyzed what characteristics of those New York neighborhoods put residents at risk of catching COVID-19 and found that the strongest factors are having a large proportion of black and Hispanic residents; have a high proportion of overcrowded apartments and have a large proportion of residents without college degrees.

“Workers with college degrees are much more likely to telecommute and therefore take refuge more safely in their homes,” said Ingrid Gould Ellen, director of the Furman Center faculty and one of the authors of the research.

In addition to being less likely to work from home, residents without titles are more likely to rely on public transportation, creating a higher risk of exposure for them.

According to the analysis, which examined publicly available information, In neighborhoods with the highest rates of COVID-19 cases, an average of 28.7% of residents had a college degree compared to 47.3% of residents in neighborhoods with the lowest infection rates.

Ingrid Gould Ellen explained that some of those without college degrees are people who work in essential industries such as transportation clerks and grocery store workers.

Another worrying factor is racial disparities, both in regards to COVID-19 infections such as death rates.

“The coronavirus appears to have had a disparate impact on communities of color,” the researchers write in their analysis. The neighborhoods with the highest COVID-19 cases are those with the highest proportion of black and Hispanic residents. Whiter neighborhoods tend to have lower concentrations of the infected, a phenomenon that reflects racial differences in national telecommuting trends.

Less than 1 in 5 black workers and 1 in 6 Hispanic workers can telecommute, according to the Economic Policy Institute.

Preliminary data released by the Bill De Blasio government as of April 9 found that 34% of deaths in New York City were among Hispanic residents (29% of the population) and 28% were black residents (22% of the population), compared to 27% of deaths among white residents (32% of the population) and 7% of the deaths of Asian residents (14% of the population).

The Bronx has been hit harder by coronavirus deaths than any other borough: 20% of deaths and 17% of the population. “The Bronx not only has a higher prevalence of pre-existing conditions, it also has a higher representation in the essential workforce,” said Council Member Ritchie Torres.

The governor of the state of New York, Andrew Cuomo, assured this Thursday that he will do more tests for the detection of COVID-19 in neighborhoods with large Latin American and African American communities to “learn” and know why the highest rate of victims is registered in these two groups.

“Let’s learn how and why this virus especially kills” these communities. “Why do we have higher death rates among African Americans and Latinos and what do we do about it?” Cuomo said at a press conference in which he announced that several test sites will be opened in these areas.

In collaboration with the University of New York and the Department of Health, data and information will be collected from those affected to “find policies and find a solution”, as well as to answer questions such as “Where do these people live? Where do you work? What is your socioeconomic situation? Where do you socialize?

In New York state, 799 people died of coronavirus in the last 24 hours, a new daily high, while the total of deaths exceeds 7,000 throughout the state.

With information from EFE

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