As the COVID-19 Omicron variant continues to spread across the Bronx, local residents have been seen waiting on increasingly longer lines for vaccination boosters, for COVID-19 testing and for food. Meanwhile many local restaurants have, once again, suspended in-person dining.

 

On Wednesday, Dec. 19, at the COVID-19 mobile testing bus, parked outside St. James’ Park at Jerome Avenue and East 192nd Street in Fordham Manor, moments after being tested, one woman who declined to be identified was asked if she was feeling sick. She replied, “No, but somebody at work got sick, so I’m just being cautious that I don’t have it.”

By Dec. 24, the line for the same mobile testing site stretched all the way down Jerome Avenue where, at the corner of East 190th Street, another line had formed and was heading in the opposite direction. The second line was for residents arriving for a bimonthly food giveaway at which an estimated 50 residents first waited in the cold outside St. James Episcopal Church, and then, one by one, received a bag of groceries.

 

Members/volunteers of the church told Norwood News food distribution began there in 2017 and that they have been feeding between 160 and 200 families, or between 330 and 400 people, per month.

Similarly, in the Westchester Square section of the borough, longer lines for COVID-19 testing have been observed, once again, in recent weeks outside of Essen Health Care, located at 1434 Williamsbridge Road, just two and a half short blocks from where long lines have also been seen (sometimes of over 100 people) outside Harvest Fields Community Church. There, church leaders have been seen handing out boxes of food to several hundred Bronxites over the last several months.

 

Another woman we spoke to on Dec. 19, who declined to be identified and who was about to get tested at the Level Up MD office located on East 204th Street in Norwood, said, “I don’t have symptoms, but I’m getting tested because I’m about to travel.”

 

According to Norwood resident, Sheila Sanchez, by Dec. 31, residents were arriving at Level Up MD for COVID-19 testing as early as 5:30 a.m. even though the medical office does not usually open until 8 a.m. Sanchez added that the line nearly reached Mosholu Parkway North that day.

 

Meanwhile, a visit to the Kam Man Kitchen Chinese Restaurant on East 204th Street in Norwood saw a dining table placed upside down on top of another, preventing customers from sitting inside. The woman behind the counter told Norwood News, “I don’t have enough help to check for the vaccine card, and if you don’t check, you get a ticket. Yeah, it’s $1,000 [fine] and I can’t afford that.”

 

Asked if the elimination of indoor dinning was hurting business, the business owner replied, “Yes, most people pick up [their food], but some people want to eat here, and some people refuse to show the card, so we have arguments with the customers. It’s a lot of trouble.”

 

The woman added, and Norwood News later confirmed, that Popeye’s, located next door to Kam Man Kitchen Chinese Restaurant, Subway [restaurant] and McDonalds, all on East 204th Street in Norwood, had each closed their dining areas to the public also.

 

Meanwhile, during a COVID-19 briefing by U.S. President Joe Biden on Dec. 21, the president told the nation, “Tens of millions have gotten sick. We’ve all experienced upheaval in our lives, but while COVID has been a tough adversary, we’ve shown that we’re tougher…. tougher because we have the power of science and vaccines that prevent illness and save lives.”

 

Biden vowed that his administration would open 10,000 new vaccination sites across the nation, to add to the existing 80,000 sites, with more to follow in January. He added that his administration would also be deploying hundreds of vaccinators to more vaccination sites to assist FEMA with pop-up clinics that would provide booster shots in “areas of high demand.”

 

In his strongest statement on the anti-COVID-19 vaccination movement to date, Biden said, “The unvaccinated are responsible for their own choices, but those choices have been fueled by dangerous misinformation on cable TV and social media, and these companies and personalities are making money by peddling lies, and allowing misinformation that can kill their own customers and their own supporters.”

 

The president added, “It’s wrong. It’s immoral. I call on the purveyor of these lies and misinformation to stop it. Stop it now.”

 

On Dec. 20, Gov. Kathy Hochul announced that NY health commissioner, Mary Bassett, had tested positive for COVID-19. On the same day Councilwoman-elect, Pierina Sanchez (CD 14), announced, via Twitter, that she too had tested positive for COVID-19. On Dec. 21, Councilman Kevin Riley (CD 12) also announced, on Twitter, that he too had tested positive for the virus.

 

Later, on Jan. 1, Congressman Adriano Espaillat (NY-13) confirmed in a statement that he had also tested positive for COVID-19. The congressman previously contracted the virus in 2021, just as the vaccines were first being rolled out.

As police, fire, paramedics, and teachers all continued to report rising rates of sick employees, City MD, announced on Dec. 29 that it had temporarily closed 20 locations. That number later rose to 32 locations, including four in the Bronx, which were reportedly due to staffing shortages. The Bronx locations which were closed were at East 161st Street. The Hub, Southern Boulevard and Westchester Square.

 

On their website, City MD told its customers, “Most City MD locations are operating at full capacity, doing our best to meet the urgent care needs of the people of New York and New Jersey. Continuing to provide these services to the community is a top priority. However, our physicians and teammates are also a priority. To preserve our ability to staff our sites, we have temporarily closed certain locations. It is our hope that closing sites now will best allow us to avoid future closures as this surge continues.”

 

*Síle Moloney contributed to this story.