COVID-19 Returns to The Bronx. As of September 30 zip codes 10462 and 10465 are hotspots per Governor Cuomo.
Stephen Ditmore
Oct 1, 2020
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As of September 30, Bronx zip codes 10462 and 10465 are considered COVID-19 infection hotspots by Governor Cuomo, according to Gothamist. 7 positive tests out of 266 performed last week in 10462 resulted in a 3% positivity rate, and 5 positive tests out of 140 performed in 10465 yielded a positivity rate of 4%. Those may sound like low numbers, but they indicate there are undetected cases around, and that some people in those areas should have a COVID test whether or not they are experiencing symptoms.
As New York City continues reopening and starts back to school, there has been widespread concern about a "second wave" emerging. Since vigilant monitoring is our best tool to detect and isolate outbreaks before they become unstoppable community spread, New York State has increased the availability of testing, both of the lab-based PCR type and of the new "rapid tests", also referred to as "point-of-care" tests because they can be performed in a doctor's office, urgent care center, nursing home, or other medical facility. Lab based PCR tests, on the other hand, require shipment of nasal samples to a specialized lab.
With hotspots again emerging, it's particularly important to understand and utilize these new tools right away. Health officials are testing to a level that might be considered sampling, but only a few major institutions and businesses are testing to a degree that can be considered screening. Voluntary initiative of individual residents to isolate the contagion and limit its spread is needed. In a month there will likely be websites driven by sophisticated statistics suggesting how often people in particular groups should optimally get a COVID test, and perhaps even what type. For now, if you see the numbers ticking upward in areas where you live and work, get tested. It’s in your interest and that of everyone around you.
New York City Health & Hospitals has phone numbers and testing sites listed at https://www.nychealthandhospitals.org/covid-19-testing-sites, and New York State has a site at https://coronavirus.health.ny.gov/find-test-site-near-you. Some of these test sites may offer rapid tests soon, but the Parkchester Times has learned of select urgent care centers offering them now. They are:
ProHEALTH Urgent Care of Morris Park
1049 Morris Park Ave, Bronx, NY 10461
(929) 777-9082
UrgentWay Bronx
2826 Westchester Ave, Bronx, NY 10461
(347) 934-9045
StatCare Urgent & Walk-In Medical Care (Bronx Bartow Mall)
2063A Bartow Ave, Bronx, NY 10475
(855) 936-7362
StatCare Urgent & Walk-In Medical Care (Bronx 174th St.)
932 E 174th St, Bronx, NY 10460
(917) 310-3371
Some require appointments, so call ahead. StatCare prefers you use the ‘Book Appointment’ feature at their website: https://www.statcarewalkin.com. Most also offer standard laboratory PCR tests free of charge, but a person must wait a couple days for their result. The price of a rapid test may depend on your insurance, but if you want an answer immediately it’s the way to go, so ask about the price, and who pays, when you call. Both PCR and rapid (point-of-care, antigen, or LAMP technology) tests look for active COVID infection. Antibody blood tests (often called serology tests) do not. Antibodies are part of YOUR body’s immune response; that’s another subject.
COVID-19 (SARS-CoV-2 infection) typically has a 3 day latent period, and an additional 5 day incubation period before symptoms begin to appear. In the first two days after exposure, there is no test that will detect COVID. While some tests are more sensitive than others, what really matters is rapid turnaround and frequency of testing.
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