Health & Fitness
NY Gov. Kathy Hochul Tests Positive For COVID-19
The governor's diagnosis comes as the case count rises in New York City, with more that 7,000 positive cases detected on May 5.
NEW YORK CITY — Not even New York’s highest profile politician is safe from the coronavirus, which is seeing yet another uptick in New York City.
Gov. Kathy announced Sunday that she tested positive for COVID-19.
“Thankfully, I’m vaccinated and boosted, and I’m asymptomatic,” she tweeted. “I’ll be isolating and working remotely this week.”
Find out what's happening in New York Cityfor free with the latest updates from Patch.
Hochul was last in New York City on Friday when she attended a press conference at Chelsea Piers, her schedule shows.
The governor cancelled a trip to Washington D.C. because of the diagnosis, which puts her among an ever-growing number of New Yorkers who recently contracted the coronavirus.
Find out what's happening in New York Cityfor free with the latest updates from Patch.
A whopping 7,264 positive cases were detected in the city on May 5 — the most since late January when the omicron variant’s first wave struck, according to state health department data.
This spike in recent cases across New York City prompted health officials to upgrade the city’s COVID-19 risk alert status from “low” to “medium.”
The renewed wave of cases is tied to even-more-contagious subvariants of omicron, experts say.
It comes as national, state and local officials relax long-standing mandates such as masking rules designed to stop the virus’s spread.
Mayor Eric Adams, who pushed for wide reopening measures, was among the New Yorkers who contracted the virus. He received his positive test as his 100th day in office dawned — and it forced the energetic and active mayor to reluctantly isolate, even when a mass shooting unfolded in the city’s subways.
Cases have only continued to grow since then.
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