Mayor Adams tests positive for COVID

BY THE VILLAGE SUN | New York City Mayor Eric Adams has COVID.

Around 1:45 p.m. on Sunday, Fabien Levy, the mayor’s press secretary, issued a statement on the mayor’s health status.

“This morning, Mayor Adams woke up with a raspy voice and, out of an abundance of caution, took a PCR test that has now come back positive,” Levy said.

“At this time, the mayor has no other symptoms, but he is already isolating and will be canceling all public events for the remainder of the week. He is also going to immediately begin taking the antiviral medications offered for free to New York City residents and encourages all New Yorkers eligible for these medications to take them as well.

“While he is isolating, he will continue to serve New Yorkers by working remotely.”

There was no immediate information on where the peripatetic Adams might have contracted the virus.

Less than two weeks ago, at a City Hall press conference, a concerned Adams called on Congress to allocate an additional $15 billion to fight COVID-19.

“We have more tools than ever to fight COVID-19, but now is not the time to scale back,” he stressed. “As we step up and provide more than 6 million at-home tests to keep our residents safe, we need our federal government to continue pushing for much-needed resources. We remain committed to assisting the New York City congressional delegation as they work to secure COVID-19 supplemental funding, but inaction by certain members of Congress right now puts the whole country at risk. We need federal action now before we left to fend for ourselves if another surge hits our city.”

“Cases are rising, and we expect to see a steady increase in transmission as BA.2 continues to circulate around the city,” added Dr. Ashwin Vasan, the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene commissioner. “We’ve all been through so much the last couple years and we need every tool available to us. It’s crucial we all take the steps we know work to keep us safe and healthy, like getting vaccinated, boosted, tested and wearing masks in settings where the vaccination status of those around you are unknown.”