Upper East Side Vaccinations Rise Modestly Amid Delta's Spread

UPPER EAST SIDE, NY — Since the delta variant caused COVID-19 cases to begin surging again in New York City last month, Upper East Side residents have continued to get vaccinated — but vaccine rates haven't spiked like the virus has, data shows.

Since the start of July, when the virus began surging again, a total of 6,470 Upper East Siders have gotten at least one shot of the vaccine. More than 154,000 residents, or about 76 percent of the neighborhood, are partly or fully vaccinated.

But vaccinations have not increased notably in that span, despite the fearsome variant and new incentives from the city.

In fact, the pace has slowed slightly, according to Patch's analysis of city data. An average of about 180 Upper East Siders got vaccinated each day in June, compared to about 140 in July and 130 so far in August.

Of course, one possible explanation for the slowed rollout is that the Upper East Side is already one of the city's most vaccinated neighborhoods. In neighboring Harlem, where some ZIP codes remain less than 50 percent vaccinated, there has been a noticeable increase in shots since delta emerged and the city unveiled a $100 incentive.

But the Upper East Side has not been spared from delta, which is now responsible for nearly all new COVID-19 cases in the city.

During the week that ended on Friday, 179 Upper East Side residents tested positive for COVID-19. By contrast, in the first week of July, just 17 cases were recorded in the neighborhood.

Still, virus cases and hospitalizations remain far below where they stood months ago, before the vaccine's rollout.

Here's the latest vaccination data for each Upper East Side ZIP code, as of Sunday:

• 10021 — Lenox Hill/Upper East Side: 73 percent first dose received, 69 percent fully vaccinated
• 10028 — Yorkville/Upper East Side: 72 percent first dose received, 68 percent fully vaccinated
• 10065 — Lenox Hill/Upper East Side: 80 percent first dose received, 75 percent fully vaccinated
• 10075 — Lenox Hill/Upper East Side: 87 percent first dose received, 82 percent fully vaccinated
• 10128 — Yorkville/Upper East Side: 76 percent first dose received, 72 percent fully vaccinated