7 On Your Side Investigates COVID positivity rates by neighborhood

NEW YORK CITY (WABC) -- 7 On Your Side Investigates has been tracking the areas with the most COVID-19 cases for nearly two years. The data usually takes us to place like Corona, Queens, and the Bronx.

But for the first time, we're seeing surges not in the outer boroughs, but in Manhattan.

"This new variant is just ripping through Manhattan," said Councilmember Keith Powers, who is a member of the Health Committee and represents some of the hardest-hit areas.

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The current zip codes with the highest infection rates tend to be younger, more affluent areas of Manhattan, along with Brooklyn and Long Island City.

Search this interactive map to find the positivity rate in each New York City neighborhood.

While portions of Staten Island and Breezy Point have double-digit positivity, it's Lower Manhattan, the areas in dark purple, with the highest rates -- from the West Village with 16%, to Greenwich with 15%, to Murray Hill with a 14% positivity rate as of Thursday afternoon.

They're areas with some of the highest vaccination rates.

"I think there are a lot of breakthrough cases that are happening, of course, they're not all breakthrough some people are unvaccinated," Powers said. "These are young areas where people are congregating together at bars or holiday parties or just getting together, and so it's not a surprise that It would move so fast through these areas."

They're also people who are living in areas with access to more COVID-19 testing sites.

"This reflects a combination of actual activity of COVID 19, particularly of omicron, as well as the fact that there are more people seeking and getting testing in those places," New York City Health Commissioner Dr. Dave Chokshi said.

The city's working this week to expand capacity and testing sites into more neighborhoods. They also started handing out tests people can take from home.

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