COVID-19 cases in the Big Apple are spiking as the Delta variant spreads — but so far it’s sending relatively few New Yorkers to the hospital.
As of Sunday, city health department statistics show a seven-day average of hospitalizations in the five boroughs at 29 — while the seven-day average for new cases stood at 976.
Health experts said nearly all of the new cases are among non-vaccinated New Yorkers.
“Despite the widespread existence of Delta, I don’t think we’re going to see the kind of hospitalization rates that we’ve had before,” Dr. Jessica Justman, an associate professor of epidemiology at Columbia Mailman School of Public Health, told The City.
“I do think that the vaccines are going to keep a lot of people protected from severe illness, hospitalizations and death,” Justman said. “If we didn’t have a vaccine, we would be seeing a much bigger increase in hospitalizations.”
Approximately 65 percent of adult New Yorkers are fully vaccinated, city records show.
According to a review by The City, the five boroughs have seen a 238-percent increase in new cases since July 1, as the highly contagious variant invades the city.
But the month has also seen just a 25-percent rise in hospitalizations.
By comparison, the number of new cases in November, when an earlier COVID wave hit the city, rose by 180 percent and hospitalizations by 129 percent.
Pockets of the city, primarily Staten Island and parts of Brooklyn, including Canarsie, have seen a larger growth in new cases, the outlet said.
In Canarsie and Great Kills, just 36 percent of residents are vaccinated, well below the city average, according to The City.
Mayor Bill de Blasio has ramped up vaccination efforts in the city, even announcing a $100 reward for residents who get inoculated.
Earlier this week, the mayor expanded the city’s vaccination mandate to cover the entire city workforce amid the spread of Delta.
A report by The Post this week found that less than half of staffers at city agencies have been fully vaccinated against coronavirus.