Harlem COVID Cases Keep Climbing As Subvariants Spread, Data Shows

HARLEM, NY — Temperatures are rising in Harlem and across New York City — and so are COVID-19 cases, as the neighborhood's virus rates continue to increase due to the presence of new subvariants of omicron, according to city health data.

In Harlem, the rise in coronavirus cases that began in early March has continued in recent weeks. In the seven-day period that ended on Saturday, a total of 801 Harlemites tested positive for COVID-19 — a 10 percent positivity rate. The citywide rate during the same period is similar, at 9.26 percent.

That's more than double the number of positive cases that Harlem recorded during the last few days of April, and more than four times greater than the number of weekly cases being recorded in early March, when the virus had receded following the first omicron wave.

The current increase began with the contagious BA.2 subvariant of omicron, but has been driven more recently by newer strains, like BA.2.12.1 — an even more transmissible variant that made up 78 percent of new cases in New York, New Jersey and Puerto Rico as of mid-May, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Some signs are more encouraging: no Harlemites have died from the virus during the past 28 days, and 72 had been hospitalized through May 10, the most recent date where data is available. Both are far lower figures than during previous waves, especially those that occurred before vaccines became available.

"While we’re seeing an increase in hospitalizations, we aren’t seeing a dizzying rise as in January, when some emergency rooms were so packed you had to pick your path through gurneys," the New York Times reported on Friday.

Meanwhile, Mayor Eric Adams has remained steadfast in his opposition to bringing back any COVID-19 restrictions, reiterating last week that he would not reimpose a mask mandate in public schools despite the rising case numbers.

"I'm proud of what we are doing and how we are not allowing COVID to outsmart us," he told reporters at City Hall, noting that hospitalizations and deaths remained "stable."

"We're staying prepared and not panicking," he said.