Upper East Side COVID-19 Cases Jump Amid Omicron's Rise: Data

UPPER EAST SIDE, NY — The surge in COVID-19 that is gripping New York City has not spared the Upper East Side: the neighborhood recorded more positive tests in recent days than it had in months, according to city data.

A total of 543 residents of the Upper East Side's five ZIP codes tested positive between Dec. 6 and Dec. 13, the most recent week for which data is available. That's nearly seven times the number of positive tests recorded at the end of October, just before the current wave began.

While the recent jump can be attributed in part to more people getting tested — over 13,500 Upper East Siders were tested between Dec. 6-13, compared to 9,800 in late October — there is little doubt that the virus is spreading.

The percentage of people testing positive tells a similar story: the Upper East Side's 4.0 positivity rate during the most recent week was nearly double any weekly rate since August.

Health officials have made clear that the highly contagious omicron variant is a major factor in the spread. While the delta variant is still the city's most common — making up 97 percent of cases during the week ending Dec. 4 — omicron has almost certainly gained in recent days, likely beyond the 13 percent share estimated by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, according to Health Commissioner Dave Chokshi.

"We have seen a very substantial increase in cases in the last few days," Mayor Bill de Blasio said Thursday. "It is clear that the omicron variant is here in New York City in full force."

Amid the worrying spike, officials have pleaded with residents to get vaccinated and boosted against COVID-19, as initial research suggests that the Moderna and Pfizer boosters offer significant protection against omicron.

"The early studies do suggest that vaccines remain effective in reducing your chances of severe disease," Chokshi said this week. "This means needing oxygen or needing a hospital bed. And that's despite the fact that vaccine effectiveness in preventing infection may be reduced."

Accompanying the surge has been another distressing sight reminiscent of the pandemic's early days: long lines at COVID-19 testing sites. On the Upper East Side, residents reported long waits Friday morning at urgent-care clinics like CityMD — though other facilities, like city-run site at Metropolitan Hospital and the LabQ tent on East 86th Street, appeared to have shorter waits.

One reason for optimism: the Upper East Side remains among the city's most heavily-vaccinated neighborhoods, with all five ZIP codes having at least 75 percent of residents fully vaccinated.