Upper East Side's 2 Pandemic Years: 454 Dead, 40K Cases

UPPER EAST SIDE, N Y — As most eyes were focused on New York City's reopening and the loosening of virus restrictions, the city quietly marked a somber anniversary last month: two years living with COVID-19.

Since the first person was diagnosed on Feb 29, 2020, nearly 40,000 New Yorkers have died from COVID-19, while 2.2 million have contracted the virus.

On the Upper East Side, more than 40,000 people have tested positive since the pandemic began, while at least 454 residents have died from COVID-19, according to Patch's review of city data.

Despite that heavy toll, the Upper East Side suffered fewer deaths as a share of its population than many other neighborhoods, according to city data. Based on deaths per 100,000 residents, all five Upper East Side ZIP codes ranked in the city's bottom half, with neighborhoods like East New York and Brighton Beach, Brooklyn emerging as the hardest-hit.

Still, that is of little comfort to the thousands of Upper East Siders who lost a loved one during the pandemic. Within the neighborhood, the 10021 ZIP code between 68th and 76th streets suffered the most deaths: 117. The neighboring 10075 ZIP code, which stretches past 80th Street, was proportionally hardest-hit, with a rate of 386 deaths per 100,000 people.

The bulk of the Upper East Side's virus deaths came during the first year of the pandemic, before the vaccines became available, according to the data. Last year, upon the first anniversary of the coronavirus's arrival in New York, Patch reported that 272 Upper East Siders had died from COVID-19 — a figure that makes up about 60 percent of today's total.

On the other hand, far more Upper East Siders were infected with the virus during the second year compared to the first. Only 8,100 people had tested positive for COVID-19 by the end of February 2021 — about one-fifth of the total as of this week.

Here's a look at the virus' toll in numbers in each Upper East Side ZIP code:

10021 — Lenox Hill:

• 7,610 total cases
• 117 deaths
• 255.04 deaths per 100,000 residents
• 13.84 percent of people tested who tested positive.

10028 — Yorkville/Carnegie Hill:

• 9,099 total cases
• 79 deaths
• 166.77 deaths per 100,000 residents
• 15.52 percent of people tested who tested positive.

10065 — Lenox Hill:

• 6,762 total cases
• 54 deaths
• 193.55 deaths per 100,000 residents
• 14.98 percent of people tested who tested positive.

10075 — Central Upper East Side:

• 4,890 total cases
• 89 deaths
• 386.21 deaths per 100,000 residents
• 14.48 percent of people tested who tested positive.

10128 — Yorkville/Carnegie Hill:

• 12,095 total cases
• 115 deaths
• 196.38 deaths per 100,000 residents
• 15.44 percent of people tested who tested positive

Related coverage: Coronavirus's Toll On The Upper East Side: 1 Year Later