Prospect Heights Has High-ish Bivalent Vax Rate, But Lags Further East

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

But new local data shows that in Prospect Heights, the rates are (relatively) better.

Over 26 percent of residents in the 11238 ZIP Code, which includes Clinton Hill as well as Prospect Heights, have received their bivalent booster, a much higher rate than the only 12 percent of New Yorkers have received their bivalent COVID boosters, data shows.

Bivalent vaccine rates for ZIP Codes in Crown Heights and Prospect Lefferts Gardens were much lower, with Crown Heights' 11213 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.

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

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