Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer tested positive for COVID-19 Friday, his official Twitter account announced and city staff confirmed.
His wife, Susie Dyer, also tested positive.
Dyer, 63, is the second Central Florida mayor forced to isolate this week because of a COVID infection, joining Orange County Mayor Jerry Demings, 62, who discovered Tuesday evening he was infected with the virus. Demings attended staff and public meetings remotely this week.
Dyer’s results were confirmed by a rapid test taken Friday after the mayor was told he was exposed to the virus, city staff said.
“Today, after being made aware that I had been exposed to COVID-19, Susie & I both tested positive,” said Dyer in an e-mail provided by Samantha Holsten, a city spokesperson. “We are currently asymptomatic, which I credit to being vaccinated & boosted. I will continue to isolate & work on City business remotely as directed by CDC guidelines.”
Dyer and Susie received booster shots on Dec.9, a pinned tweet on his official page says.
Dyer’s positive COVID test comes one day after he posted a video on Twitter urging vaccination and booster shots.
“Being vaccinated is absolutely the best defense to becoming sick or even dying,” Dyer said in the video. “So, if you haven’t been vaccinated, I encourage you to get vaccinated. If you’ve been vaccinated, I encourage you to get the booster.”
Neither Dyer nor Demings speculated on how or where they were infected.
Orange County remains a community of high COVID transmission, which the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention defines as more than 100 infections per 100,000 residents. The county’s rate over the past seven days is about 1,345 infections per 100,000 residents, a week-to-week improvement.
Last week, the county rate measured 2,206 infections per 100,000 residents.
The surge was fueled by the omicron variant which has infected fully vaccinated people and re-infected unvaccinated people.
Both Dyer and Demings have led Central Florida’s push for vaccination, testing and safety protocols,
Demings, who also is vaccinated and boosted, sent a similar message to county employees concerning his infection, promising to work from home.
“Thankfully, I am only experiencing mild symptoms,” he said. “I encourage you to get tested if you are feeling sick. That way, if you do test positive as I did, you can isolate and not spread the virus to others.”
Demings also told county employees he arranged for COVID-19 testing for them and their family members from the same household weekdays between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. at the Facilities Management Training Room, located at 2010 E. Michigan St.
His message linked to a document for managing COVID-19 exposure and provided information about vaccines and COVID risks.
In part, it read, “The vaccination does not cause: cough, shortness of breath, runny nose/congestion, sore throat, loss of taste or smell. Employees with these symptoms should be quarantined …” County guidelines require employees with a positive COVID-19 test to isolate for five calendar days regardless of vaccination status.
cguniss@orlandosentinel.com; shudak@orlandosentinel.com
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