CASES DECLINE THEN MASKS WILL GO
BACK TO BEING OPTIONAL.
>>> WE’VE BEEN TELLING YOU FOR A
FEW DAYS NOW COVID NUMBERS ARE
GOING IN THE WRONG DIRECTION
CREEPING UP IF THE AREA BUT THIS
TIME IT’S A BIT OF A TWIST.
INFECTIONS THE LAST COUPLE WEEKS
SEEM TO BE MOST PREVALENT IN
SOME OF THE MOST VACCINATED
SOME OF THE MOST VACCINATED
NEIGHBORHOODS OF NEW YORK CITY.
CHRIS GLORIOSO JOINS US NOW WITH
CHRIS GLORIOSO JOINS US NOW WITH
CONTEXT TO EXPLAIN WHY THAT
MIGHT BE.
>> YOU KNOW IN THE DARKEST DAYS
OF THE PANDEMIC THE OUTER
BOROUGHS WERE ALMOST ALWAYS HIT
HARDER BY COVID INFECTIONS BUT
THIS BA.2 VARIANT SEEMS TO BE
FLIPPING THE SCRIPT.
AS OF LAST WEEK HEAVILY
VACCINATED MANHATTAN HAD 193
COVID INFECTIONS PER 100,000
COVID INFECTIONS PER 100,000
PEOPLE NEARLY FOUR TIMES THE
INFECTION RATE WE’RE SEEING IN
THE BRONX WHICH HAS THE LOWEST
BOOSTER RATE IN THE CITY.
IT IS A HEAD SCRATCHER SO WE
IT IS A HEAD SCRATCHER SO WE
ASKED THE EXPERTS WHY.
>> I HAD A LIVER TRANSPLANT SIX
MONTHS AGO AND SO IF ANYBODY HAS
TO BE CAREFUL IT’S ME.
>> Reporter: INGRID LUCIA SAYS
HER TRIP TO PLAY MUSIC IN NEW
YORK CITY WAS A CALCULATED RISK.
SHE HAS A PRE-EXISTING
CONDITION.
BUT TWO YEARS INTO THE
PANDEMIC --
PANDEMIC --
>> I PERSONALLY CAN’T TAKE BEING
ISOLATED ANYMORE SO FOR ME IT IS
WORTH TAKING A LITTLE RISK TO
GET OUT.
>> Reporter: SHE IS NOT THE ONLY
ONE FEELING SPRING FEVER.
THE BA.2 VARIANT IS FUELING A
COVID UPTICK IN NEW YORK CITY
AND THIS BUDDING WAVE APPEARS TO
BE IMPACTING MANHATTAN THE MOST.
BE IMPACTING MANHATTAN THE MOST.
LOOK AT THE CITY’S MAP.
BLOCKS SOUTH OF 96th STREET HAVE
TRADITIONALLY HAD LOWER
POSITIVITY BUT NOW THESE
POSITIVITY BUT NOW THESE
NEIGHBORHOODS ARE MOSTLY SHADED
RED.
CENTRAL QUEENS, BROOKLYN, AND
THE BRONX, TRADITIONALLY HIT
HARDEST BY COVID HAVE LOWER
POSITIVITY.
IN FACT, EIGHT OF THE CITY’S TEN
HIGHEST POSITIVITY NEIGHBORHOODS
ARE NOW IN MANHATTAN TOPPED BY
CHELSEA, GRAMERCY, THE VILLAGE,
AND SOJO.
AND SOJO.
WHY MIGHT THIS BE?
>> I CAN SAY TOWO MAJOR
POSSIBILITIES.
ONE IS THE PEOPLE BELOW 96th
STREET ARE DOING MORE TESTING
STREET ARE DOING MORE TESTING
THAN THE PEOPLE ABOVE 96th
STREET.
>> Reporter: DR. MARTIN BLAZER
SAID ANOTHER POSSIBLE
EXPLANATION IS OMICRON RAVAGED
THE OUTER BOROUGHS SO THOROUGHLY
AND RECENTLY PEOPLE THERE STILL
HAVE RESIDUAL IMMUNITY.
MEANWHILE VACS AND BOOSTERS ARE
MEANWHILE VACS AND BOOSTERS ARE
LESS EFFECTIVE FOR THE
MANHATTANITES WHO GOT THEM
MONTHS AGO.
>> THE VACCINES ARE PROTECTING
>> THE VACCINES ARE PROTECTING
AGAINST SERIOUS ILLNESS, NOT
PROTECTING THAT MUCH AGAINST
INFECTION.
PEOPLE WHO ARE VACCINATED ARE
GETTING INFECTED BUT NOT GETTING
THAT ILL.
>> Reporter: DESPITE RISING
>> Reporter: DESPITE RISING
POSITIVITY COVID
HOSPITALIZATIONS AND DEATHS IN
NEW YORK CITY ARE NOT YET
INCREASING BUT THIS MEDICAL
INCREASING BUT THIS MEDICAL
RESEARCHER REMINDS US DEATHS ARE
A LAGGING INDICATOR.
SHE POINTED TO A PAPER RECENTLY
SHE POINTED TO A PAPER RECENTLY
CO-AUTHORED BY DR. FAUCI THAT
SUGGESTS HERD IMMUNITY MAY BE
IMPOSSIBLE UNLESS WE COMMIT TO
VACCINATING THE MOST
DISADVANTAGED POCKETS OF THE
GLOBE.
>> WE ALSO HAVE TO PROVIDE
VACCINES TO COUNTRIES THAT
VACCINES TO COUNTRIES THAT
CANNOT AFFORD VACCINES.
UNLESS EVERYBODY IS VACCINATED
AND BY EVERYBODY I MEAN
AND BY EVERYBODY I MEAN
EVERYBODY AROUND THE WORLD IS
EVERYBODY AROUND THE WORLD IS
VACCINATED, WE’RE GOING TO KEEP
SEEING SURGES OF VARIANTS THAT
ARE GOING TO APPEAR WHERE THE
POPULATION IS NOT VACCINATED.
>> Reporter: VIRUS EXPERTS WE
TALKED TO ALSO POINTED OUT
THOUGH THE VARIANT APPEARS TO BE
NO MORE DEADLY THAN THE ORIGINAL
OMICRON THERE IS NO REASON TO
THINK THE NEXT VARIANT MIGHT NOT
THINK THE NEXT VARIANT MIGHT NOT
BE MORE DEADLY.
THAT IS WHY SHE IS HOPEFUL ABOUT
NEW VACCINES BEING DEVELOPED TO
TARGET OTHER AREAS OF THE VIRUS,
AREAS OTHER THAN THE SPIKE
PROTEIN.