Coronavirus's Toll In Midtown, Hell's Kitchen: 1 Year Later

MIDTOWN MANHATTAN, NY — Though it may feel more like a lifetime ago, New York City confirmed its first coronavirus case on March 1, 2020: one year ago, as of Monday.

The anniversary of the first COVID-19 case provides a chance to reflect on the scope of the virus' toll in New York City, and in its neighborhoods.

Though the coronavirus likely arrived in New York in early February, the first person known to test positive for the virus in New York City was confirmed on March 1 in a 39-year-old health care worker who returned from a trip to Iran. Not long after, New York City marked another grim milestone with the first coronavirus death, an 82-year-old woman with emphysema, on March 14.

Compared to some Manhattan neighborhoods, Midtown was not as hard-hit by the virus. Most Midtown ZIP codes rank around the middle of the borough by fatality rates, while within Midtown, parts of Hell's Kitchen suffered the most deaths.

Still, across Midtown and Hell's Kitchen, at least 173 families have lost a loved one to the pandemic since it began, and more than 5,600 residents have contracted the virus, according to the city's data.

Here's a look at the virus' toll in numbers in each Midtown and Hell's Kitchen ZIP code:

10017 — East Midtown, Murray Hill:

• 645 total cases
• 4,131 cases per 100,000 residents
• 16 deaths
• 102 deaths per 100,000 residents
• 6.2 percent of people tested who tested positive

10018 — Hell's Kitchen, Midtown:

• 422 total cases
• 3,579 cases per 100,000 residents
• 8 deaths
• 68 deaths per 100,000 residents
• 6.1 percent of people tested who tested positive

10019 — Hell's Kitchen, Midtown:

• 1,889 total cases
• 4,340 cases per 100,000 residents
• 57 deaths
• 131 deaths per 100,000 residents
• 6.6 percent of people tested who tested positive

10022 — East Midtown:

• 1,282 total cases
• 4,149 cases per 100,000 residents
• 42 deaths
• 136 deaths per 100,000 residents
• 6.0 percent of people tested who tested positive

10036 — Hell's Kitchen, Midtown:

• 1,432 total cases
• 5,257 cases per 100,000 residents
• 50 deaths
• 184 deaths per 100,000 residents
• 7.5 percent of people tested who tested positive

Now, the coronavirus vaccine is already making an impact in Midtown, where thousands of residents have already received at least one dose.

Of course, numbers only tell part of the story of the neighborhood's pandemic year. Hell's Kitchen was home to temporary hospitals at the Javits Center and aboard the USNS Comfort, and much of central Midtown emptied out almost overnight as offices sent employees home.

Residents also came together to pick up trash in the wake of pandemic-induced sanitation cuts, and mourned the losses of businesses that were forced to close.

A year later, Mayor Bill de Blasio has said March 1 will become an annual "Day of Remembrance" for New Yorkers lost to the virus. New York City has lost more than 29,000 people to COVID-19.

Patch reporter Anna Quinn contributed.