A MIT Professor, Jeffrey Harris, is maintaining that the subway was the reason NYC became the worst infected part of the nation:
"New York City’s multitentacled subway system was a major disseminator – if not the principal transmission vehicle – of coronavirus infection during the initial takeoff of the massive epidemic that became evident throughout the city during March 2020"
As ridership dropped the subway system reduced the number of trains which maintained the passenger density and kept the infections at a high level. As the ridership finally dropped 90% the time of the doubling of the cases started to improve.
Which is why I've been driving everywhere when needed for 6 weeks now and asked staff to stop commuting the day Gov. Cuomo said stay at home, like the first day he asked. Staff sat (sadly past tense) in front of a commuter mostly, so no need to commute to do that. PPP where are you?
agreed.. there's nothing profound here. and it shouldn't be an argument against mass transit.. just figure out how to make it cleaner and safer (see s korea)
it really really needs to be repeated, this virus spreads through social contact and medical facilities. that means meeting friends, going to church, visiting family. and of course being in a hospital. looking at absolute numbers misses the point, look at rates per population!
the above is interesting for 2 reasons. first, none if these counties are NYC or any other major city, though it does include some wealthy suburbs. second, some of these are rural areas very far from the coastal hotspots. also it seems like these counties skew rich, and chilly-humid. weather naybe matters more than density.
given the relatively low prevalence in tokyo, seoul, bangkok, hk, and other super dense east asian cities, it doesn't seem subways or density are particularly significant factors in transmission. or at least that common sense precautions work well for low-contact public spaces. it's the people you know and trust and hug and have dinner with who are going to get you sick, not some guy you avoid eye contact with and never talk to.
The people that I know infected in the city did not likely get it in the subways. They got it through other social interactions with people who later turned out to also be sick. The subway argument is easy from someone outside. The reality of NYC is that everything is in close quarters, not only subways. If you go to the grocery store, the bodega, a bar, or simply walk down the street, it is a much more intimate experience with people all around you than if you were anywhere else in America. We are constantly surrounded by people in NYC.
Another big takeaway in NYC is that household size had a huge influence on infections. Single people living alone were significantly safer than 4+ member households. Neighborhoods that got hit hard in both Brooklyn and Queens were ones where overcrowding of apartments was already a problem. You most likely got sick from a family member/housemate.
Overcrowding/poverty/disease is a NYC problem as old as the city. Last 50+ years of no plagues is more of an exception than the rule.
Lets not forget how absolutely filthy NYC subways are, and actually the city as a whole too, especially during the winter. No wonder it was a cesspool of disease.
The most fascinating part of the pandemic is how everyone under the sun became an epidemiologist and economist overnight. Must be spending a lot of time taking online classes between those zoom calls.
Mass Transit in NYC
A MIT Professor, Jeffrey Harris, is maintaining that the subway was the reason NYC became the worst infected part of the nation:
"New York City’s multitentacled subway system was a major disseminator – if not the principal transmission vehicle – of coronavirus infection during the initial takeoff of the massive epidemic that became evident throughout the city during March 2020"
As ridership dropped the subway system reduced the number of trains which maintained the passenger density and kept the infections at a high level. As the ridership finally dropped 90% the time of the doubling of the cases started to improve.
that's awful.
Which is why I've been driving everywhere when needed for 6 weeks now and asked staff to stop commuting the day Gov. Cuomo said stay at home, like the first day he asked. Staff sat (sadly past tense) in front of a commuter mostly, so no need to commute to do that. PPP where are you?
I don’t have a driver’s license. I either use the subway or bike.
I think it's unfair for MTA to get all the credit. Patient zero lawyer who infected all of New Rochelle exclusively used Metro North system.
Other than that Professor Obvious is riding the obvious train. choo choo. He should tell us about cruise ships next!
agreed.. there's nothing profound here. and it shouldn't be an argument against mass transit.. just figure out how to make it cleaner and safer (see s korea)
it really really needs to be repeated, this virus spreads through social contact and medical facilities. that means meeting friends, going to church, visiting family. and of course being in a hospital. looking at absolute numbers misses the point, look at rates per population!
the above is interesting for 2 reasons. first, none if these counties are NYC or any other major city, though it does include some wealthy suburbs. second, some of these are rural areas very far from the coastal hotspots. also it seems like these counties skew rich, and chilly-humid. weather naybe matters more than density.
given the relatively low prevalence in tokyo, seoul, bangkok, hk, and other super dense east asian cities, it doesn't seem subways or density are particularly significant factors in transmission. or at least that common sense precautions work well for low-contact public spaces. it's the people you know and trust and hug and have dinner with who are going to get you sick, not some guy you avoid eye contact with and never talk to.
The people that I know infected in the city did not likely get it in the subways. They got it through other social interactions with people who later turned out to also be sick. The subway argument is easy from someone outside. The reality of NYC is that everything is in close quarters, not only subways. If you go to the grocery store, the bodega, a bar, or simply walk down the street, it is a much more intimate experience with people all around you than if you were anywhere else in America. We are constantly surrounded by people in NYC.
Another big takeaway in NYC is that household size had a huge influence on infections. Single people living alone were significantly safer than 4+ member households. Neighborhoods that got hit hard in both Brooklyn and Queens were ones where overcrowding of apartments was already a problem. You most likely got sick from a family member/housemate.
Overcrowding/poverty/disease is a NYC problem as old as the city. Last 50+ years of no plagues is more of an exception than the rule.
Lets not forget how absolutely filthy NYC subways are, and actually the city as a whole too, especially during the winter. No wonder it was a cesspool of disease.
This is why I was so upset my firm had use commute. Through March 13th! One of my coworkers died from the virus!!!!
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