Vaccinated Democratic congressman tests positive for COVID-19
Rep. Stephen Lynch (D-Mass.) is the latest lawmaker to test positive for coronavirus.
According to CNN, Lynch had already received the second dose of the Pfizer vaccine prior to President Joe Biden's inaugural ceremony on Wednesday, Jan. 20. At the time, Lynch also tested negative.
On Friday, Jan. 29, his office released a statement indicating that the congressman was tested again earlier this week after one of his staff members tested positive for the virus. Now, his spokeswoman Molly Rose Tarpey has confirmed that his latest results have come back positive.
"This afternoon U.S. Representative Stephen F. Lynch received a positive test result for COVID-19 after a staff member in the Congressman's Boston office had tested positive earlier in the week," Tarpey said in a statement.
Although Lynch's diagnosis is different from most, the publication also explains the effectiveness of the COVID vaccine and references the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's (CDC) timeline to build immunity after receiving the COVID vaccination.
Covid-19 vaccines prevent illness but do not necessarily prevent infection. If someone tests positive and doesn't get sick, the vaccine has worked as intended. If someone tests positive within a few weeks of receiving the second dose, it may be because the vaccine hasn't yet fully kicked in.
The public health agency's website also offers an explanation of the COVID vaccine immunity timeline emphasizing that it does take time to build protection against the virus after being vaccinated.
The CDC website also reads, "It typically takes a few weeks for the body to build immunity (protection against the virus that causes COVID-19) after vaccination. That means it's possible a person could be infected with the virus that causes COVID-19 just before or just after vaccination and still get sick."
