Wash Heights, Inwood Again Have Highest COVID Rates In Manhattan

UPPER MANHATTAN, NY — ZIP codes in Washington Heights and Inwood currently have the highest COVID-19 rates of any in Manhattan, according to city-data.

Around the beginning of summer 2021, Washington Heights and Inwood dropped off from consistently posting the highest seven-day coronavirus positivity rates in the borough, as neighborhoods in Harlem and Lower Manhattan recorded higher rates.

Unfortunately, in the most recent week, Inwood's 10034 ZIP code and Washington Heights/Fort George's 10040 ZIP code again became the highest infected areas in the borough.

The 10034 and 10040 ZIP codes have a combined COVID-19 average positivity rate of 3.83 percent for the week of Sept. 6 through 12. During the same period, Manhattan had an average positivity rate of just 1.97 percent.

Here's more of a breakdown:

10034 (Inwood): Sept. 6-12

• 7-Day Percent Positive: 3.96 percent
• People Tested: 960
• New Positives: 38

10040 (Wash Heights North/Fort George): Sept. 6-12

• 7-Day Percent Positive: 3.7 percent
• People Tested: 1,053
• New Positives: 39

The two Upper Manhattan ZIP codes COVID-19 positivity average is also higher than the citywide rate, which is 3.05 percent from Sept. 6-12.

Vaccination Lag

While the 10034 and 10040 ZIP codes are above the rest of Manhattan in virus-positive rates, the pair trails the majority of the borough in vaccination rates.

In Inwood's 10034 ZIP code, 62 percent of residents have received one shot of the vaccine, and 55 percent are fully vaccinated. In the 10040 ZIP code, 64 percent of residents have gotten at least one jab, and 58 percent are fully vaccinated.

Overall, 78 percent of Manhattan residents have received at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine, and 71 percent are fully vaccinated.

10040's Trouble With The Virus

Since the city began tracking COVID-19 rates by ZIP code, the 10040 area has spent the most time of any ZIP code at the top of Manhattan's highest virus rate.

The area makes up the northern part of Washington Heights, Fort George and the southern section of Inwood.

In February 2021, it was the only ZIP code in the borough to post a COVID-19 positivity rate of over 10 percent.

In Nov. 2020, the 10040 ZIP code also had the highest coronavirus rate in Manhattan.

Until the beginning of the summer of 2021, the area remained within the top five highest positivity rates of any ZIP code in the borough.

Read More:

• Uptown Nabe Has Manhattan's Only COVID-19 Rate Over 10 Percent
• Wash Heights, Inwood ZIP Code Becomes Manhattan's Top COVID Rate
• Wash Heights, Inwood ZIP Code Has NYC's 2nd Highest COVID Rate