As Virus Spreads, Mott Haven Residents Worry About People with Asthma
Mott Haven Herald
By Parker E Quinlan
Local advocates sound the alarm over the area’s trucking fleets as the need for food delivery services spikes citywide
As the novel Coronavirus continues to grip New York City, concern is growing over whether the high rates of asthma in the South Bronx could make many residents especially vulnerable to Covid-19.
“We have a lot of asthmatics and seniors in the South Bronx, and this is going to hit our community hard,” said Mychal Johnson, a spokesman for South Bronx Unite, an environmental advocacy group located in Mott Haven. The data on the asthma problem supports Johnson’s claim.
Accounting for nearly three times the citywide rates of child hospitalizations for asthma according to health data from 2018, Mott Haven and Melrose are particularly vulnerable to diseases that attack the upper-respiratory tract, like Covid-19.
The federal Center for Disease Control lists individuals with asthma as being in the highest risk group for having complications after contracting Covid-19, though some medical professionals question the guidance.
