Astoria, LIC's COVID-19 Rates Inch Upwards Amid Delta's Spread

ASTORIA-LONG ISLAND CITY, QUEENS — After weeks of record-low COVID cases, Astoria and Long Island City's coronavirus rates have started to rise again in recent weeks, part of a citywide trend that health officials have attributed to the spread of the more contagious Delta variant.

Since the week that ended on July 18, the percentage of COVID-19 tests coming back positive has been above 1.3 percent in all six of Astoria and Long Island City's ZIP codes — with as many as 2.34 percent of tests coming back positive. Since the end of May, by comparison, rates were below 1 percent positive in most of the areas.

This recent uptick in COVID cases follows a citywide trend, which is most visible in the city's least vaccinated neighborhoods, though Astoria, LIC and some other well-vaccinated neighborhoods are seeing a slight uptick in COVID cases, too.

"The spread of the Delta variant means that it is perhaps the most dangerous time to be unvaccinated," Health Commissioner Dr. Dave Chokshi said last week. "My message is to convey a clear sense of urgency that we have to make sure as many people are as protected as possible in the next few weeks."

Dr. Chokshi reiterated that message last Wednesday, when a new study and citywide data showed that the city's vaccination campaign has prevented about 250K new coronavirus cases, 44,000 hospitalizations, and 8,300 COVID-related deaths this year.

According to the data, over 98 percent of cases, hospitalizations, and deaths related to COVID-19 this year were in unvaccinated people.

By contrast, under 1.6 percent of COVID-related cases, hospitalizations, and deaths were in fully vaccinated people.

In Astoria and Long Island City's six ZIP codes, at least 61 percent of adults have had one shot, though some areas have a partial vaccination rate of as much as 85 percent, data shows. Those rates exceed — or are on par with — the borough's overall vaccination rate, and rates in the city at large.

But as shots have slowed down in other areas of Queens, and citywide, the city is continuing its campaign and calling on the unvaccinated to get a jab.

In recent weeks, in an attempt to expand the city's vaccination campaign, in-home COVID vaccinations are now open to all New Yorkers, and vaccines are still available at hundreds of citywide sites.

"The stakes are so high, and we simply cannot emphasize enough how urgent it is for New Yorkers to get vaccinated," said Dr. Chokshi last week.

Here's the 7-day COVID positivity rate of every ZIP code in Astoria/LIC from last week:

• 11109 (LIC): 1.33 percent positive, 2 new cases
• 11101 (LIC/Astoria): 1.5 percent positive, 14 new cases
• 11106 (Astoria): 1.66 percent positive, 14 new cases
• 11102 (Astoria): 1.41 percent positive, 10 new cases
• 11103 (Astoria): 1.3 percent positive, 11 new cases
• 11105 (Ditmars Steinway): 2.34 percent positive, 16 new cases

Patch editor Nick Garber contributed to this report.