Rapid Emergence of SARS-CoV-2 in the Greater New York Metropolitan Area: Geolocation, Demographics, Positivity Rates, and Hospitalization for 46 793 Persons Tested by Northwell Health. (9th July 2020)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Reichberg, Samuel B; Mitra, Partha P; Haghamad, Aya; Ramrattan, Girish; Crawford, James M; Berry, Gregory J; Davidson, Karina W; Drach, Alex; Duong, Scott; Juretschko, Stefan; Maria, Naomi I; Yang, Yihe; Ziemba, Yonah C
• Is Part Of: Clinical infectious diseases. Volume 71:Number 12(2020)
• Page Start: 3204
• Page End: 3213
• Publication Date: 2020-07-09
• Subjects: coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) -- severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) -- socioeconomic -- race -- hospitalization; Communicable diseases -- Periodicals; 616.905
• DOI: 10.1093/cid/ciaa922
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 1058-4838

Abstract

Abstract: Background: In March 2020, the greater New York metropolitan area became an epicenter for severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection. The initial evolution of case incidence has not been well characterized. Methods: Northwell Health Laboratories tested 46 793 persons for SARS-CoV-2 from 4 March through 10 April. The primary outcome measure was a positive reverse transcription–polymerase chain reaction test for SARS-CoV-2. The secondary outcomes included patient age, sex, and race, if stated; dates the specimen was obtained and the test result; clinical practice site sources; geolocation of patient residence; and hospitalization. Results: From 8 March through 10 April, a total of 26 735 of 46 793 persons (57.1%) tested positive for SARS-CoV-2. Males of each race were disproportionally more affected than females above age 25, with a progressive male predominance as age increased. Of the positive persons, 7292 were hospitalized directly upon presentation; an additional 882 persons tested positive in an ambulatory setting before subsequent hospitalization, a median of 4.8 days later. Total hospitalization rate was thus 8174 persons (30.6% of positive persons). There was a broad range (>10-fold) in the cumulative number of positive cases across individual zip codes following documented first caseincidence. Test positivity was greater for persons living in zip codes with lower annual household income. Conclusions: Our data reveal that SARS-CoV-2 incidence emerged rapidly and almost simultaneously across a broad demographic population in the region. These findings support the premise that SARS-CoV-2 infection was widely distributed prior to virus testing availability. Abstract : From 4 March to 10 April 2020, Northwell Health Laboratories identified SARS-CoV-2 in 26 735/46 793 tested persons; these data provide detailed insights into the demographics, geographic spread, and delivery of healthcare for SARS-CoV-2 in the New York area.