Upper East Side Coronavirus Rates Tick Upward: Data

UPPER EAST SIDE, NY — The citywide spike in coronavirus cases that began after Christmas has not spared the Upper East Side, where rates have also risen, city data shows.

During the seven-day period that ended Sunday, all five Upper East Side ZIP codes had a higher percentage of coronavirus cases coming back positive than they did at the start of December, according to the latest city data released Wednesday.

Cases of COVID-19 have been steadily rising around New York City since the early fall, and have increased at a faster clip since late December. The city's rolling seven-day average now stands at more than 4,500 cases, up from about 3,700 on Christmas Day.

Here is the COVID-19 testing data on the Upper East Side between Dec. 28 and Jan. 3:

• 10021 — Lenox Hill/Upper East Side: 2,060 people tested, 68 positive cases, 3.3 percent positivity rate
• 10028 — Yorkville/Upper East Side: 2,210 people tested, 64 positive cases, 2.9 percent positivity rate
• 10065 — Lenox Hill/Upper East Side: 1,327 people tested, 44 positive cases, 3.32 percent positivity rate
• 10075 — Lenox Hill/Upper East Side: 1,209 people tested, 55 positive cases, 4.55 percent positivity rate
• 10128 — Yorkville/Upper East Side: 2,565 people tested, 93 positive cases, 3.63 percent positivity rate

By contrast, during the week that ended Dec. 5, all five ZIP codes had rates below 2.8 percent.

The virus has killed at least 225 Upper East Side residents since testing began last spring, according to the latest data.

Still, virus rates on the Upper East Side remain lower than in most neighborhoods. The citywide seven-day positivity rate stood at 9.25 percent on Monday, the most recent day where data is available, and the Upper East Side's ZIP codes all ranked in the city's bottom quarter by positivity.

This week, the rising rates forced officials to adjust their metrics for automatic school closures. After the city's COVID-19 rate hit 9 percent, Gov. Andrew Cuomo said the state would allow schools to remain open, even though the state had previously set a 9 percent threshold for automatically shuttering schools.

The state also uses a different method for measuring cases than the city, whose system tends to show higher rates.

Related coverage: COVID's Toll On The Upper East Side: More Than 200 Deaths