Bronx Sees New York City's Highest COVID Positivity Rate At 27%
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- The latest COVID numbers are a sign things are moving in the wrong direction.
In New York State, hospitalizations topped 10,000. We haven't seen a number that high since May 2020.
In the city, the Bronx tops all the boroughs with a 27% COVID positivity rate, and in the Fordham, Kingsbridge and University Heights sections, the rate is close to 50%.
Standing in the cold and concerned about COVID is not a good combination for families fighting to find a test Tuesday night.
"It's a hassle because I come here and they say they take three to four days to get a result," Bronx resident Rosa Bido told CBS2's Jessica Layton.
Bido's 14-year-old son was sent home from school with a runny nose.
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Twelve-year-old Joshua Pimentel took the swab outside Yankee Stadium like a champ, saying, "It wasn't bad. It wasn't bad at all."
But it's been stressful for his dad, Richard Pimentel. The two haven't felt well and know the virus is all around them.
"After, I'd say, last Christmas, people just kind, like, fatigued," Pimentel said.
Cases are soaring across the city. The positivity rate in the Bronx, where the Pimentel family lives, is inching toward 30%.
"While it's alarming right now, we can get this clearly under control," Bronx Borough President Vanessa Gibson said.
In fact, that's priority number one for Gibson, whose borough was devastated by COVID deaths in 2020.
"What do you think right now is specifically driving up those numbers in the Bronx?" Layton asked.
"I think the fact that more people are getting tested is driving up the numbers. I think the exposure. We still have too many people that are not wearing face masks," Gibson said. "We also know that many people are not vaccinated."
Wednesday, at a community center in the Highbridge section, they'll be doing rapid tests and giving PPE to residents.
Gibson is also pushing to expand testing in schools.
Mayor Eric Adams was asked once again about safety in schools Tuesday.
"Today, zero schools closed," he said. "The governor, the mayor, the UFT president, we have been coordinating with each other."
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Later Tuesday, he thanked doctors and nurses at a Brooklyn hospital.
"We have to get stuff done in this city, and no one gets it done better than the heroes of the hospital groups throughout the city and the hospital facilities," Adams said.
Meanwhile, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is now recommending immunocompromised children as young as 5 can get a booster. This comes as the number of kids in the hospital with COVID has reached a new record in the United States.
CBS2's Jessica Layton contributed to this report.
