Almost half of those in New York City who have tested positive for coronavirus are under 45 years old, but an overwhelming majority of them are surviving — accounting for just 3% of the city's COVID-19 fatalities, according to new data from the NYC Health Department.
Men in New York appear to be disproportionately affected, making up 56% of the cases and 61% of the deaths, according to the data, which was collected as of 5 p.m. Tuesday, when the city had 15,597 cases. The biggest outbreaks are in Queens, where 30% of the cases are concentrated, followed by Brooklyn, with 28% of the cases.
The hospitalization rate in the city is 18%, which is almost twice as high as the global average.
The city is the epicenter of a major outbreak in New York state where cases have been doubling every three days and now account for more than half of all U.S. cases, according to Gov. Andrew Cuomo, who released new data Wednesday morning showing 30,811 cases across the state and 17,856 in New York City.
Parents in New York City can take comfort in one thing: Zero children have died so far. People under 18 make up just 2% of the city's cases, the data shows.Â
Older New Yorkers aren't faring so well. While people 45 and over account for 52% of all COVID-19 cases, they make up 77% of all hospitalizations and 97% of the city's 192 deaths through Tuesday night, according to the data.Â
White House officials Tuesday urged anyone leaving the New York City metropolitan area to self-isolate and monitor themselves carefully for 14 days. President Donald Trump called the region a "hot spot" for coronavirus cases.
"We remain deeply concerned about New York City and the New York metro area,"Â Deborah Birx, the White House's coronavirus response coordinator, said at a press briefing Tuesday. She said about 56% of all U.S. cases and 31% of all fatalities in the United States are concentrated in the metropolitan area.