City Limits utilizó la Ley de Libertad de Información (Freedom of Information Law o FOIL por sus siglas en inglés) para obtener datos del Departamento de Salud e Higiene Mental de la ciudad de Nueva York sobre las muertes semanales de COVID-19 por raza/etnia desde septiembre de 2020 -cuando acababa de pasar la primera oleada- hasta finales de julio de 2022.
City Limits used the Freedom of Information Law to obtain data from the NYC Department of Health and Mental Hygiene on weekly COVID-19 deaths by race/ethnicity from September 2020—after the first wave had just passed—to the end of July of 2022.
“This program was a lifeline for New York City during the pandemic, and now it needs more resources and structural support to reach its full potential.”
Citywide, workers at nonprofits under contract to provide support and essential services to New Yorkers at a time of unprecedented crisis say they feel overworked, overwhelmed and burnt out. As costs continue to increase around them, many have said their low wages make it difficult to justify staying in the sector, even with a recent pay bump from the city and state.
At a virtual rally on Sunday, parents, young people and advocates in the city and across the state shared stories about the impact of the pandemic and renewed calls for elected officials to invest more in behavioral health programs and services for children and teens, which experts say have been underfunded for years and are now at a breaking point, with increased demand spurred by the coronavirus crisis.
“We have all been on our path to accepting COVID-19 as a part of our lives, but let’s not forget that the stakes are higher for some.”
“The recovery of New York City as a whole is only possible when it is inclusive of all neighborhoods, including ones like mine in The Bronx that suffered some of the worst effects of the pandemic.”
One lawmaker and local health experts are calling for the city to automatically schedule vaccination appointments for New Yorkers who’ve been fully inoculated against COVID-19, but have yet to get a booster shot. Only 36 percent of city residents have gotten the additional dose of the vaccine so far.
A coalition of groups representing undocumented immigrant workers, cash earners and others excluded from traditional worker benefits are campaigning for a stronger social safety net for these employees, who they say were essential to keeping New York running throughout the pandemic.
The reopening of the city’s senior centers this summer brought great joy and relief for many. But capacity restrictions remain in place, and staffers who work with older adults say they’re concerned about the ongoing impact the prolonged isolation may have had on members.
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