COVID-19 Outbreak — New York City, February 29–June 1, 2020
Authors: Corinne N. Thompson, Jennifer Baumgartner, Carolina Pichardo, Brian Toro, Lan Li, Robert Arciuolo, Pui Ying Chan, Judy Chen, Gretchen Culp, Alexander Davidson, Katelynn Devinney, Alan Dorsinville, Meredith Eddy, Michele English, Ana Maria Fireteanu, Laura Graf, Anita Geevarughese, Sharon K. Greene, Kevin Guerra, Mary Huynh, Christina Hwang, Maryam Iqbal, Jillian Jessup, Jillian Knorr, Julia Latash, Ellen Lee, Kristen Lee, Wenhui Li, Robert Mathes, Emily McGibbon, Natasha McIntosh, Matthew Montesano, Miranda S. Moore, Kenya Murray, Stephanie Ngai, Marc Paladini, Rachel Paneth-Pollak, Hilary Parton, Eric Peterson, Renee Pouchet, Jyotsna Ramachandran, Kathleen Reilly, Jennifer Sanderson Slutsker, Gretchen Van Wye, Amanda Wahnich, Ann Winters, Marcelle Layton, Lucretia Jones, Vasudha Reddy, Anne Fine
Journal: MMWR Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (2020)

New York City (NYC) was an epicenter of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) outbreak in the United States during spring 2020 (1).During March-May 2020, approximately 203,000 laboratory-confirmed COVID-19 cases were reported to the NYC Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (DOHMH).To obtain more complete data, DOHMH used supplementary information sources and relied on direct data importation and matching of patient identifiers for data on hospitalization status, the occurrence of death, race/ethnicity, and presence of underlying medical conditions.The highest rates of cases, hospitalizations, and deaths were concentrated in communities of color, high-poverty areas, and among persons aged ≥75 years or with underlying conditions.The crude fatality rate was 9.2% overall and 32.1% among hospitalized patients.Using these data to prevent additional infections among NYC residents during subsequent waves of the pandemic, particularly among those at highest risk for hospitalization and death, is critical.Mitigating COVID-19 transmission among vulnerable groups at high risk for hospitalization and death is an urgent priority.Similar to NYC, other jurisdictions might find the use of supplementary information sources valuable in their efforts to prevent COVID-19 infections.This report describes cases of laboratory-confirmed COVID-19 among NYC residents diagnosed during February 29-June 1, 2020, that were reported to DOHMH.DOHMH began COVID-19 surveillance in January 2020 when testing capacity for SARS-CoV-2 (the virus that causes COVID-19) using real-time reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) was limited by strict testing criteria because of limited test availability only through CDC.The NYC and New York State public health laboratories began testing hospitalized patients at the end of February and early March.DOHMH encouraged patients with mild symptoms to remain at home rather than seek health care because of shortages of personal protective equipment and laboratory tests at hospitals and clinics.Commercial laboratories began testing for SARS-CoV-2 in mid-to late March.During February 29-March 15, patients with laboratory-confirmed COVID-19 were interviewed by DOHMH, and close contacts were identified for monitoring.The rapid rise in laboratory-confirmed cases (cases) quickly made interviewing all patients, as well as contact tracing, unsustainable.Subsequent case investigations