Cuomo Claims a Low Vaccination Rate for Boro Park, without Considering the Neighborhood's Low Average Age

By Yehudit Garmaise

     Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced this morning that with a vaccination rate of those who are eligible of 33.8% Boro Park is among the 25 of out 1,700 ZIP codes that have the lowest vaccination rates in the state, however, the governor did not take into account that while 60% of the Chassidic population in New York is under the age of 18, only 20% of the general population in the state is under 18.

     The large teenage and younger populations of heimish communities explain why many Jewish neighborhoods stuck out in the bottom-25 lowest vaccination rates.

     For instance, Gov. Cuomo said with a rate of 17.6%, Monsey had the state’s lowest vaccination rate, followed by Monroe at 27.4%, Far Rockaway at 31.2%, Williamsburg at 31.5%, and Crown Heights at 33.7% .

     New York state’s overall vaccination rate is 68.6%, while the lowest ZIP codes have below a 36% vaccination rate of New Yorkers who are eligible, said the governor.

     However, New York City data shows that as of late May, 50% of Boro Parkers who were older than 18, and therefore eligible for vaccination much longer than the teenage group, had at least one COVID vaccination shot.

      If one were to compare the vaccination rates of adults older than 18 in Boro Park with those of other New York communities, Boro Park’s rate of vaccination mirrored or exceeded the rates of other neighborhoods. 

     For instance, while the 50% of Boro Park adults who were vaccinated last month compares favorably with the 52% rate of adult whites who were vaccinated. Boro Park actually exceeded the 47% rate of Latino adults and the 35% of African American adults who got their shots.

     “The lowest vaccination demographic is still 12 to 17 year-olds because they just became eligible, and we just spent a year telling them that [they are not at risk,]” said Gov. Cuomo, not understanding that communities with higher averages ages are naturally going to have higher vaccination rates because they have been eligible for much longer. 

     Yossi Gestetner, a co-founder of the Orthodox Jewish Public Affairs Council (OJPAC) said that for the governor’s office to provide accurate vaccination rates, Gov. Cuomo should follow the lead of Mayor Bill de Blasio, who releases COVID vaccination rates by age groups, such as under 18, age 18 to 49, and ages 50 and above.