New York Gov. Hochul tests positive for COVID

NEW YORK — New York Gov. Kathy Hochul has tested positive for COVID-19, she tweeted Sunday.

“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,” the Democratic governor stated.

“A reminder to all New Yorkers: get vaccinated and boosted, get tested, and stay home if you don’t feel well,” she added.

A Hochul spokesperson said the governor will “be following the guidance” on how long to isolate, without specifying the number of days. Hochul canceled a planned Monday trip to Washington, D.C.

She is the latest elected official to test positive for the disease as COVID-19 case numbers have been rising in New York and beyond. Last month, New York Mayor Eric Adams revealed a positive test result and nixed public appearances for five days. Numerous Washington bigwigs tested positive for COVID-19 after the annual Gridiron Dinner for journalists and politicos.

Hochul received the Johnson & Johnson vaccine and two booster shots, the most recent of them on April 4, according to her office.

It was not clear where Hochul may have contracted the virus, as is often the case with the widespread scourge.

COVID-19 case numbers have more than tripled over the past month, from an average of 22.3 cases per 100,000 people statewide on April 6 to 71.14 cases per 100,000 on Friday, according to Hochul’s office. As of Friday, an estimated 70,354 New Yorkers had died of the virus.

The virus has killed nearly 1 million people nationwide, a figure that would have been inconceivable at the start of the pandemic more than two years ago.