I'm pretty sure he didn't die, because he updated some chapters after the announcement regarding his family getting COVID. However, it is true that he also contracted COVID and had to be quarantined as a result.
The people and their lives here represent the ultimate rebellion against the boring and orderly society, making this place the biggest graffiti on the map of New York, messy and colorful, impossible to erase.
It was good at first, but overtime the author keeps adding fillers to the story. it seems like the author only care about the word count instead of novel's quality. As for the translation, not the best but still very helpful.