COVID's Toll In Harlem: 863 Deaths, 12,600 Cases

HARLEM, NY — As the year draws to a close, a look at the city's coronavirus data confirms what many Harlem residents already knew too well: the neighborhood was hit especially hard by the pandemic.

The end of 2020 provides a chance to reflect on the scope of the virus's toll in New York City, and in Harlem. The coronavirus likely arrived in New York in early February, meaning it has been with us for all but one month of the year.

All told, at least 863 Harlem residents have died from COVID-19, according to the most recent data released Tuesday by the city. More than 12,600 positive cases have been confirmed across the neighborhood's eight ZIP codes.

East Harlem suffered more than any other neighborhood in Manhattan. The 10029 ZIP code saw 219 deaths, or nearly three per 1,000 residents — both the highest in the borough.

"It’s been quite devastating," said Diana Ayala, who represents East Harlem in the City Council. She noted that the neighborhood's working-class residents have had to venture out of their homes each day, risking constant exposure to the virus.

"Most of us make up the workforce of essential workers, so we had no choice but to get up and go to work every single day," she said. "That meant possibly coming back and coming in contact with the virus while we were outside and bringing it home to our families."

Official death and case counts are likely lower than the true number. In the early days of the pandemic, New York's overall death rates were far above normal, suggesting that many New Yorkers may have died from the virus without ever being tested.

Members of the Harlem community lost to the virus included Rosario Gonzalez, who worked as a paraprofessional at East Harlem's Horan School for more than 35 years, and Dr. Julie Butler, a beloved veterinarian who cared for the neighborhood's pets at the 145th Street Animal Hospital.

Between March and April, the Mount Neboh Baptist Church lost 11 parishioners in a span of just a few weeks.

After new infections slowed over the summer, the virus has surged again in recent weeks, including in Harlem. In the week between Dec. 20 and Dec. 26, all but one of Harlem's ZIP codes ranked among the top third in Manhattan by the percentage of coronavirus tests coming back positive.

Of course, the effects of the virus reach far beyond those who got sick, and are likely to endure even once a vaccine becomes widely available.

"It took away many people’s livelihoods," Ayala said. "We’re going to see the devastating effects of this pandemic for many years to come."