The 10 biggest COVID-19 neighbourhood hot spots in Toronto

Toronto released data last month that highlighted the confirmed COVID-19 cases by neighbourhood. A month later, and the data still hasn't changed too much.

While COVID-19 cases have declined and the city has entered Stage 2 of its reopening, it's clear that some neighbourhoods in the city are still being impacted the most when it comes to COVID-19. 

And it's still not more affluent areas like Rosedale, Yorkville, Leaside or The Beaches but instead the city's lower-income areas, and the ones likely inhabited by essential workers who work in manufacturing or have continued to work on the front lines and take public transit throughout the pandemic.

Social vulnerability at the neighbourhood-level as seen in Toronto during the COVID-19 pandemic (https://t.co/PyZz3BP3X2).

— Nick Kerman (@nick_kerman) June 26, 2020

They're also neighbourhoods where chronic diabetes has historically been the highest and and where residents are least likely to have completed post-secondary studies.

Low Income & racialized neighbourhood in Toronto has much higher rate of COVID infection: 649/100,000 vs 137/100,000 in nearby affluent neighbourhood. #covid19 #SDOH #BLM #publichealth ⁦@CPHA_ACSP⁩ ⁦@OPHA_Ontario⁩ ⁦@theCDPAC⁩https://t.co/d7B7XBVkTI pic.twitter.com/tyzWntp6xl

— Kim Perrotta (@KimPerrotta57) June 23, 2020

Glenfield-Jane Heights, which centres around Jane between Sheppard and Finch, has the highest number of cases at 469 and has a rate of 1,538 cases per 100,000 population.

Toronto's NW corner is overwhelmingly bearing the brunt of #covid19. In the worst-hit neighbourhood, the infection rate is 24x higher than in the least (The Beach). We dug into the deep systemic issues that were harming these communities long before COVID https://t.co/nOETsAsvsn pic.twitter.com/KOkoU1PUaO

— Jennifer Yang (@jyangstar) June 28, 2020

Here's the breakdown of the neighbourhoods in Toronto with the highest recorded numbers of COVID-19 cases.

1. Glenfield-Jane Heights: 469 
2. Mount Olive-Silverstone-Jamestown: 451
3. West Humber-Clairville: 444 
4. Downsview: 415
5. York University Heights: 400
6. Islington-City Centre West: 347
7. Weston: 302
8. Rouge: 286
9. Woburn: 281
10. Black Creek: 277

By comparison, there have been only 12 cases in Blake-Jones, 14 cases in Lambton Baby Point and 15 in The Beaches and The Danforth.

Officials admit that the data could be skewed by testing rates. Some of the neighbourhoods with the highest numbers of cases have also had the highest testing per capita, according to the Toronto Star.