Fifth NYC Coronavirus Case Linked To Midtown Lawyer, Mayor Says

NEW YORK CITY — A Manhattan man in his 50s has tested positive for novel coronavirus, Mayor Bill de Blasio said Friday.

This latest case is linked to the 50-year-old Midtown lawyer being treated for the virus at New York-Presbyterian/Columbia Medical Center, de Blasio said on WNYC's "The Brian Lehrer Show."

"He has mild symptoms at this moment," de Blasio said. "We're testing his family and the disease detectives are following up on his contact."

Patch reached out to the Mayor's Office for confirmation and was told more information would be released later Friday.

There are five cases in New York City thus far, a healthcare worker isolated and recovering in her Manhattan home, two critically ill patients hospitalized in New York City, and the lawyer.

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This is the second time de Blasio has released breaking news about the virus on a national show before his office released an official statement.

De Blasio told MSNBC's "Morning Joe" hosts about a woman in her 80s and man in his 40s about 90 minutes before the Mayor's Office confirmed the information.

"We give updates as soon as we have them," the mayor said at a Thursday press conference when a reporter asked about his decision to release information on the talk show.

"I’m just not getting into this."

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