Massachusetts congressman gets Covid-19 despite getting two vaccine doses

Boston, Massachusetts – US Representative Stephen Lynch tested positive for Covid-19 on Friday, after receiving both doses of the coronavirus vaccine.

Rep. Stephen Lynch had already received his second dose of the Pfizer vaccine before Joe Biden's inauguration on January 20.
Rep. Stephen Lynch had already received his second dose of the Pfizer vaccine before Joe Biden's inauguration on January 20.  © IMAGO / ZUMA Wire

A spokesperson for the Massachusetts Democrat, who attended President Joe Biden’s inauguration last week, confirmed his diagnosis and current asymptomatic status, in a statement, CNN reports.

"This afternoon U.S. Rep. 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," said Molly Rose Tarpey.

Lynch, who intends to isolate and vote by proxy in Congress next week, received his second dose of Pfizer’s Covid-19 shot and tested negative for the disease before Biden was sworn in on January 20, according to Tarpey.

She did not detail when the congressman received each of his vaccine doses.

The shot is meant to guard against illness resulting from the virus, but not necessarily the virus itself. The vaccine is considered effective if a fully vaccinated individual contracts Covid-19 and doesn’t experience illness brought on by the disease.

That said, immunity "typically takes a few weeks" to build post-inoculation, according to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

A trio of Democrats – Representative Bonne Watson Coleman of New Jersey, Representative Pramila Jayapal of Washington, and Representative Brad Schneider of Illinois – tested positive for the virus earlier this month after sheltering in place during the January 6 insurrection with members of Congress who refused to mask up, despite the raging pandemic.

Cover photo: IMAGO / ZUMA Wire

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