Bed-Stuy Still Lags With Bivalent Booster: Data

BED-STUY, BROOKLYN — New York City still lags in getting the new, bivalent COVID-19 vaccine to its residents, city data shows.

New local data shows that in some parts of Bed-Stuy, the rates are somewhat better than the rest of the borough, but much of the neighborhood remains in the single digits.

Over 14 percent of residents in the 11216 ZIP Code, which includes parts of Crown Heights as well as Bed-Stuy, have received their bivalent booster, a slightly higher rate than the only 12 percent of New Yorkers have received their bivalent COVID boosters, data shows.

11205, which also encompasses parts of Clinton Hill and Fort Green, sits at nearly 13 percent, just barely above the city average.

Bivalent vaccine rates for other ZIP Codes in Bed-Stuy were much lower, with 11213 — which Bed-Stuy shares with Crown Heights — showing that only 5.73 percent of residents have received the updated booster, despite rising COVID cases citywide.

Across Brooklyn, bivalent booster rates hover at 10 percent, much lower than Manhattan's 23 percent rate. Park Slope, Gowanus, Brooklyn Heights and Boerum Hill have the highest booster rates in Kings County, followed closely by Prospect Heights/Clinton Hill.

The lack of response to the bivalent vaccine rollout this fall left many to wonder why the release of the boosters — which are specifically engineered to respond to the highly-virulent omicron variants — lacked the urgency over the primary vaccination series.

Manhattan Borough President Mark Levine and former chair of the City Council Health Committee voiced his disappointment with low booster rates citywide, tweeting that New Yorkers "need to do much better than this."

COVID cases have been on the rise since Thanksgiving, prompting Mayor Eric Adams to encourage New Yorkers to mask up once again.

In Bed-Stuy, cases had been steadily rising since the start of December, but now show signs of leveling off.

According to city data, a massive holiday-related surge like in 2020 and 2021 has yet to materialize, but the future remains uncertain.

Bed-Stuy residents had been flocking to a local DOH vaccine clinic open two days a week, which officials said had huge turnout, but it gave its last jabs of the year on Dec. 17. It remains uncertain if the popular clinic will reopen in 2023.

To find a booster location near you, visit vaccinefinder.nyc.gov.