NEW YORK (1010 WINS) -- Mayor Eric Adams tested positive for COVID-19 on Sunday after attending a super spreader event and is isolating as cases rise in New York City.
Adams attended the Gridiron Dinner, a high-profile D.C. dinner party with roughly 630 guests, on April 2. More than 70 attendees have tested positive for COVID-19 since the dinner.
The mayor attended a number of events since the dinner where he could have spread COVID-19 if infectious.
He was at opening day for the Yankees on Friday and attended the ReelAbilities film festival later that night. On Saturday, he attended a CUNY caucus lunch.
Earlier in the week, he attended the Broadway Grand Gallery unveiling in Times Square on Thursday. And on Wednesday he spoke at the National Action Network convention with Al Sharpton, 67.
On Tuesday, he was at James Madison High School.
Reports that the dinner was a super spreader event started on Wednesday, but that didn't deter Adams from going to crowded locations like a convention, a baseball game or Times Square.
Adams woke up with mild symptoms and took a PCR test which came back positive, City Hall spokesperson Fabien Levy announced in a tweet.
Adams canceled all public events for the coming week, but plans to continue working remotely.
He is eligible for antiviral medication and plans to start taking it immediately.
In a tweet Sunday evening, Adams said he was "following my doctors orders by isolating."
"Thankfully, I'm vaccinated and boosted so symptoms are minimal," the mayor tweeted. "I'll work remotely and I know we've got the best team in the country at work at City Hall."
Infection numbers have been ticking upward as the BA.2 sub-variant of COVID-19 spreads. The number of new positive cases in New York City has more than tripled over the last month.
Manhattan borough president Mark Levine said Adams' positive test is a reminder to everyone that the city is still in a pandemic.
“This is New York City’s fifth wave—incredible that we’ve been through five so far,” Levine said. “Cases have tripled in the last month. Hospitalizations are ticking up, although still very low.”
Dr. Bruce Y. Lee, with the CUNY Graduate School of Public Health, said the BA.2 Omicron subvariant is more contagious, accounting for 85% of new cases in the city.
“You essentially have this more contagious BA.2 subvariant that’s circulating, and we’re still amidst cool and drier weather, so that can promote transmission, so we really need to be more proactive about COVID-19 precautions,” Lee said.
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