Bayside Councilman Paul Vallone Tests Positive For Coronavirus

BAYSIDE, QUEENS — City Council Member Paul Vallone is in quarantine after contracting COVID-19, he said Wednesday on Facebook. He is the third member of the City Council to test positive for the new coronavirus.

Vallone got tested for the virus after experiencing mild symptoms because he has an underlying condition, a rare inflammatory disease called Sarcoidosis, according to his Facebook post.

Vallone represents College Point, Whitestone, Malba, Bayside, Douglaston, Little Neck, North Flushing and Auburndale in the City Council, where he also chairs the economic development committee.

"My family and I remain at home and have been self-quarantining, resting, and healing together," Vallone said. "I feel blessed to have had manageable symptoms and I am on the road to recovery."

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Bronx Council Member Ritchie Torres and Brooklyn Council Member Inez Barron have also tested positive for the virus. Manhattan Council Member Mark Levine, who chairs the council's health committee, says he suspects he has the virus but will not get tested to preserve tests for others.

As of 9:30 a.m. Wednesday, New York City had nearly 45,000 confirmed cases of COVID-19 — a third of which are in Queens — and more than 1,100 people have died from the virus, according to city data.

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