Coronavirus Pandemic's Toll In Greenwich Village: One Year Later

GREENWICH VILLAGE, NY — Do you remember what you were doing on March 1, 2020? The date may seem like a lifetime ago, but it was the day that the first coronavirus case in New York City was confirmed.

The anniversary of the first COVID-19 case in the five boroughs provides a chance to reflect on the scope of the virus' toll in New York City and in Greenwich Village.

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.

A year later, Mayor Bill de Blasio has said it will become an annual "Day of Remembrance" for New Yorkers lost to the virus. New York City has lost more than 29,000 people since the pandemic began.

Compared to much of New York City, Greenwich Village and the West Village have been somewhat spared by the coronavirus. But that is of little comfort to the hundreds of neighborhood residents who lost their lives to COVID-19.

In the three major ZIP codes that make up Greenwich Village, there have been nearly 4,200 cases of the virus in the last year.

Here's a look at the numbers for each ZIP code since March 1, 2020:

10014

• Number of cases: 1,199
• Cases per 100,000 residents: 3,952
• Deaths per 100,000 residents: 92
• Percent of residents tested who tested positive: 6 percent

10012

• Number of cases: 952
• Cases per 100,000 residents: 4,112
• Deaths per 100,000 residents: 56
• Percent of residents tested who tested positive: 6 percent

10003

• Number of cases: 2,034
• Cases per 100,000 residents: 3,768
• Deaths per 100,000 residents: 74
• Percent of residents tested who tested positive: 5 percent

Of course, numbers only tell part of the story.

Read more about how West Village businesses created artistic outdoor dining setups, how the neighborhood had some of the lowest rates in the city, and how West Village eateries still earned spots on a best meals of 2020 list.

Patch reporter Anna Quinn contributed to this report.