NEW YORK (WCBS 880) — For the first time, New York City is releasing coronavirus vaccine data by ZIP code.
The numbers show glaring disparities, with affluent neighborhoods recording higher vaccination rates than in lower-income areas.
"The figures published today show the scale of the challenge in front of us," said Dr. Torian Easterling, first deputy commissioner and chief equity officer for the city's health department. "Just as we've seen a much smaller proportion of vaccines going to Black and Brown New Yorkers, we see these geographic disparities bearing out as well. Staten Island and Manhattan have the highest vaccinations rates while the South Bronx, parts of central Queens and central Brooklyn lag behind."
Figures released Tuesday show 10464 (City Island in the Bronx) has the highest vaccination rate, with 25% of residents having received both shots.
Next in line is 11004, which covers Bellerose, Douglaston and Little Neck in Queens, where 20% of people are vaccinated.
At the other end of the spectrum are 11208, 11212 and 11368, covering Cypress Hills, East New York, Ocean Hill, Brownsville and Corona. Only about 2% of people in those areas have received both shots.
City records show that overall 43% of all adults who have been vaccinated so far in New York City are white, only 15% are Asian, 16% Latino and 11% are Black.
Mayor Bill de Blasio dismissed a suggestion that the city's strategy of locating more than three-fourths of city vaccination sites in the hardest-hit neighborhoods is not working.
He did, however, acknowledge, "We have a real distrust problem we have to overcome."
"So the very communities that need help the most are the ones where there's the highest distrust and we just got to be aggressive and consistent to overcome that," de Blasio said. "I have no doubt we will."
The mayor added, "When it comes to vaccination the challenge here is that the folks who already have been doing very well in our society also happen to be folks who had a high level of confidence in the vaccine."
De Blasio says the city has been trying to address doubts in minority neighborhoods with education and outreach efforts, but said, "We've gotta go deeper."
A new clinic is opening Wednesday to vaccinate people in Brownsville and East New York.
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