https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/nvss/vsrr/covid19/index.htm
Why would NYC account for about 40% of all US COVID 19 deaths, according to the CDC (Table 5)? Is there something unique about the population, the geography, climate, preparedness, something else? Or is it just a coincidence? I mean the entire state of California (with a population much greater than that of NYC or even the metro NYC area) has only 452 deaths -- less than 1/10 that of NYC alone. Is the warmer climate of California helping them with the virus? Did California do something NYC did not? Or is it all just chance (if a Christian can be allowed such an expression)?
Some things unique about the population. This from NYC Dept. of Planning, four years old:
With a July 2015 population of 8,550,405, New York is the most populous city in the United States, more than twice the size of the second largest city, Los Angeles.
About 1 in every 38 people living in the United States resides in New York City.
New York has the highest population density of any major city in the United States, with over 27,000 people per square mile.
Over 3 million of New York City’s residents are foreign-born; over one-quarter arrived in 2000 or later.
Nearly 2 million New Yorkers are under the age of 18.
New York City has more people than 40 of the 50 U.S. states.
This does not take into account Metropolitan NY, which has over 14,000,000 people, also wedged in pretty tight in NY, NJ and lower CT. And the 27000 per sq mile is low for many parkless areas.
Flushing Queens is 54000 per square mile. That's where the Mets play. Where I live it's around 15000 psm, and where I work around 25000 psm.
So the population density of Minnesota is 72 per square mile. Crookston is listed at 1500 per square mile (you have a college campus there). T
I was speaking about this with a relocated Milwaukeean who has lived in Queens for a long time. So there's a three level 20 x 70 attached home (inlcluding basement). We have maybe 100,000 of these in the outer boroughs. Bob gets the virus. He lives with his wife and three others in the basement apartment. On the first level there are six more people, and on the second level 8 more; they're mostly related. Are we thinking because Bob stays in his room in the basement there's not high potential for transmission to some of the other 18 people? Are you kidding?
So it's not the same as, but it is way more like, what you find in these nursing homes or meat packing plants or Mardi Gras or Spring Break beaches with tons of people up close for extended periods. And that's why the mitigation has had to be stunningly successful; and thanks to Brooklynite Tony Fauci and other leaders, it has been way better than could have been dreamed of a month ago.
Dave Benke