Governor Kathy Hochul tested positive for COVID-19 Sunday, and the state’s chief executive said in a social media post that she did not show any symptoms of the illness.
Hochul’s diagnosis comes as virus cases spike again across New York City — though thanks to vaccinations, booster shots and antiviral pills, most infected New Yorkers are winding up asymptomatic or with mild cases.
“Today I tested positive for COVID-19. Thankfully, I’m vaccinated and boosted, and I’m asymptomatic. I’ll be isolating and working remotely this week,” Hochul said in a Tweet on May 8.
“A reminder to all New Yorkers: get vaccinated and boosted, get tested, and stay home if you don’t feel well,” she continued.
Today I tested positive for COVID-19. Thankfully, I’m vaccinated and boosted, and I’m asymptomatic. I’ll be isolating and working remotely this week.
A reminder to all New Yorkers: get vaccinated and boosted, get tested, and stay home if you don’t feel well.
— Governor Kathy Hochul (@GovKathyHochul) May 8, 2022
The governor did not have any public events over the weekend, according to her office’s schedule, but she joined New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy during an event with the Regional Plan Association in Manhattan on Friday afternoon.
Her announcement comes weeks after Mayor Eric Adams came down with the coronavirus as well on April 10, prompting him to cancel all his in-person appearances for the rest of the week as he recovered.
Meanwhile, COVID-19 cases continue to grow across New York City as yet another wave — this one prompted largely by the BA.2 subvariant — sets in. The city’s 7-day positivity rate, as of May 6, was up to 6.57%, with a 7-day daily case average of 2,885, according to the city’s Department of Health and Mental Hygiene.
Yet the hospitalization rate remains stable, with a daily average of 47 COVID-19 hospitalizations reported on May 6. The death rate is also low, with just four COVID-19 deaths reported on May 3.
The city’s transmission rate is up to 242.2 cases per 100,000 residents, with Manhattan again at the top of the list at 328.48 cases per 100,000 residents. Only the Bronx and Brooklyn have a transmission rate below the citywide average.
Seven neighborhoods in New York City saw 200 or more new COVID-19 cases reported between April 27 and May 3. Manhattan Valley/Morningside Heights/Upper West Side (ZIP code 10225) saw the most infections with 254, good for a 7.62% 7-day positivity rate.
Three other Manhattan communities each had over 200 cases during the period: Lincoln Square (10023, 229 cases, 11.04% 7-day positivity rate); Upper West Side (10024, 221 cases, 11.91%) and East Village/Gramercy/Greenwich Village (10003, 215 cases, 12.68%).
With reporting by Robert Pozarycki
