In March 2020, New York City was designated the epicenter of the COVID-19 pandemic, accounting for nearly 5 percent of the world’s COVID-19 cases. Meanwhile, the Bronx was ranked 62 [out of 62] by the University of Wisconsin’s Population Health Institute and Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, as New York State’s unhealthiest county, and has consistently remained one of the region’s hardest hit counties by the coronavirus.

 

At Bronx Community Board 7 (CB7)’s Health and Human Services Committee meeting, held on March 16, Michelle Avila, committee chair, shared recent COVID-19 infection rate data from the City’s health department to remind the community that COVID-19 continues to plague some of CB7’s largest neighborhoods, including University Heights, Fordham University, Kingsbridge, and Norwood.

 

“The Bronx and CB7 neighborhoods have not been faring well in terms of caseload,” she said. According to the data, the 7-day COVID test positivity rate as of March 21 in the Bronx was 6.5 percent, compared to 2.9 percent in Manhattan. “I think that it’s pretty obvious that we’ve suffered some major losses because of COVID,” Avila said. “Our hope is to try to think about the factors that are contributing to these higher rates. It’s really concerning.”

 

Despite the long-standing environmental challenges, and systemic disparities in employment and health services that have made the Bronx uniquely vulnerable to the virus, some CB7 community members believe Bronxites need to be more pro-active and vigilant about following the Center for Disease Control’s (CDC) social distancing and mask-wearing guidelines.

 

“I’m in the neighborhood every day, and I noticed that the more buildings that go up, the busier and more crowded the sidewalks get,” community member, Chad Royer, said at meeting. “That’s actually worsening our chances for safety.” But fellow community member, Sirio Guerinos, disagreed, summing up what he believes is the reason behind the borough’s high positivity rate in six words, “Too many people aren’t wearing masks.”

 

According to the CDC, the virus that causes COVID-19 spreads via respiratory droplets that get expelled from the body when an infected person coughs, sneezes, talks, or breathes. Social distancing – maintaining six feet of distance between people – in addition to wearing masks that completely cover the nose and mouth, and fit snugly against the sides of the face, can help slow the spread.

 

To gain more insight into the reasons for the Bronx’s sustained, high COVID-19 positivity rates, Norwood News reached out to the borough’s Neighborhood Health Center for Health Equity and Community Wellness, which is affiliated with the City’s health department. In response, the health department provided a link to a recent press conference where New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio spoke about the crisis but did not directly address the underlying reasons for the high COVID rates in the Bronx. Norwood News followed up with the department for clarification. We did not receive an immediate response.

 

In addition to social distancing and mask-wearing, the CDC also urges all eligible New Yorkers to get vaccinated. However, as Norwood News recently reported, vaccination rates are low in Bronx CB7, compared to other Bronx communities. A few months ago, the reason for this could have been attributed to factors like vaccine scarcity, an insufficient number of vaccination sites, weather-related delays preventing vaccine supplies from arriving in the city, and vaccine scams, which are ongoing, but which have largely been debunked.

 

Now, one of the biggest challenges to increasing vaccination rates appears to be public confusion over how to actually schedule an appointment, particularly among those for whom English is not their first language, as well as those who are not adept at using the internet. Then, there is the challenge of trying to secure an appointment while millions of others are trying at the same time, sometimes causing the various online sites to time out, or crash.

 

However, despite the ongoing COVID-related challenges plaguing the Bronx, CB7 community members are finding ways to help their neighbors. Working in health care, Carrie Shumway, a CB7 resident, has an insider’s understanding of how challenging it has been for seniors and immigrants to navigate the system. As vaccine eligibility requirements expand to include more New Yorkers, she is determined to assist her Bedford Park neighbors with scheduling their appointments. “I made my first community appointment for my building’s superintendent,” said Shumway, in an email to the Norwood News. “He reached out to me directly and asked for help.”

 

Eventually, Shumway discovered the Vaccine Scheduler, NYC Project, a collective of New York City health professionals who assist vulnerable and at-risk populations with scheduling their COVID vaccine appointments for free. These include seniors over 65, people with underlying health conditions, physically and mentally disabled individuals, people with limited or no access to a computer or the internet, non-English speakers, and undocumented people.

 

“I’ve scheduled between 50-60 appointments myself,” Shumway said. She started volunteering with the project in February. “I also do a lot of call-backs to folks who speak Spanish to confirm their appointment details and give instructions about what documents to bring to their vaccine appointment. Vaccine Scheduler NYC volunteers work as a team, so we have some volunteers booking the appointments, while others do the call-backs in the patients’ preferred languages,” she added. “We currently have volunteers who speak English, Chinese, Spanish, Portuguese, Russian, Mandarin, French, and Hebrew.”

 

To request vaccine scheduling assistance, eligible candidates must fill out and submit the project’s service request form. For those unsure of their vaccine eligibility status or who require additional help, they can speak with a volunteer by calling or texting 646-494-7029. Further information is also available on Instagram @VaccineSchedulerNYC, or on Twitter @VaccineschedNYC.

 

Editor’s Note: See also Norwood News’ Neighborhood Notes for further vaccine appointment-related tips.