The state Health Department released additional coronavirus data on Saturday that gives a clearer picture of which counties and age groups have been hardest hit by the pandemic so far. The figures are summarized in the charts below.
The data confirm that the virus is concentrated in the New York City metropolitan area, with the city itself accounting for almost three-quarters of the 3,565 deaths through Friday.
When adjusted for population, the death rates in the neighboring counties of Nassau and Westchester have been almost as high as the city’s, with Rockland and Suffolk not far below.
This is an installment in a special series of #NYCoronavirus chronicles by Empire Center analysts, focused on New York’s state and local policy response to the Coronavirus pandemic.
Mortality has been concentrated in higher age groups, consistent with the pattern around the world. Of those who have died, 93 percent have been over 50, 82 percent over 60, 64 percent over 70 and 37 percent over 80.
As with deaths, the number of confirmed cases has been concentrated in New York City and the surrounding suburbs, with Queens and Brooklyn having the largest number of positive tests.
When adjusted for population, however, Rockland, Westchester and Nassau have the highest rates of positive tests per 10,000 residents. This could reflect varying patterns of testing, but it might also foreshadow where the worst of the pandemic will hit next.
About the Author
You may also like
New York Has Widened Its Lead in Per-Capita Spending on Medicaid
New York's per-capita Medicaid spending soared to more than double the nationwide rate in 2018, widening its gap with the other 49 states. Read More
New York’s Medicaid Enrollment Surges to an All-Time High
New York's Medicaid program is growing at its fastest rate in six years, with a quarter-million additional enrollees landing in the safety-net health plan during the first three months of the coronavirus pandemic. Read More
New York’s Health Premiums Remain Among the Highest in the U.S.
The average cost of New Yorkers' health benefits increased by less than the national average in 2019 but remained among the highest in the U.S., according to recently published federal data.
Read More
New York’s Medicaid Roller Coaster Takes an Unusual Turn
The state's Medicaid spending was significantly lower than projected in the first quarter, but that's not necessarily a positive sign for state finances.
As shown the chart below, t Read More
Filling in the Blanks of New York’s Coronavirus Pandemic
Because New York was hit with the coronavirus early, before testing was widely available, its official count of infections – at just over 400,000 – vastly understates the scale of its outbreak.
Read More
Cuomo Administration Ducks Important Questions on Nursing Homes
A new report from the state Health Department tries to deflect blame for thousands of coronavirus deaths in the state's nursing homes—but undermines its own case by withholding data and engaging in tendentious analysis. Read More
New Data Confirm New York State’s Q1 Economic Plunge
New York's economy ended the first quarter of this year in virtual free fall, the latest federal data show.
The Empire State's real gross domestic product (GDP) decreased 8.2 percent in the first three months of 2020 compared to the fourth quarter of 2 Read More
Nursing Home Vacancy Rate Soars, Hinting at a Higher Coronavirus Toll
The vacancy rate in New York's nursing homes has more than doubled since the start of the coronavirus pandemic, suggesting that the death toll among residents may be thousands higher than officially reported.
Read More