Two lawmakers test positive for coronavirus, one after receiving both doses of vaccine
Lynch acquired a second dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine earlier than the inauguration of President Biden on Jan. 20, however his workplace declined to specify the date it was administered. Lynch had examined damaging for the virus earlier than attending the inaugural ceremonies, Tarpey stated.
“While Mr. Lynch remains asymptomatic and feels fine, he will self-quarantine and will vote by proxy in Congress during the coming week,” she stated.
Tarpey added that Lynch “has followed CDC guidelines and continues to do so since he received the vaccine.”
Another Democrat from Massachusetts, Rep. Lori Trahan, announced Thursday that she had examined positive for the virus and was asymptomatic. Trahan, whose employees members have been working remotely, additionally stated she deliberate to vote by proxy subsequent week.
“I encourage everyone to continue taking this virus seriously and to follow the science and data-driven guidance to wear a mask, maintain a safe social distance from others, avoid large gatherings and stay home whenever possible,” Trahan stated.
Trahan acquired her first shot of one of the vaccines final week, spokeswoman Francis Grubar informed The Washington Post.
Occasional circumstances of individuals testing positive after receiving one or both doses aren’t sudden, medical specialists say. Clinical trial information printed by Pfizer present that the vaccine is about 52 p.c efficient at stopping sickness after the primary shot, in comparison with 95 p.c effectiveness seven days after the second dose.
A small quantity of sufferers can nonetheless turn into mildly sick even after they’re absolutely vaccinated. But solely one of the roughly 20,000 individuals who acquired both doses within the medical trial developed extreme covid-19, suggesting the vaccine is highly effective safety in opposition to essentially the most harmful circumstances of the illness.
Members of Congress started getting vaccinated as early as Dec. 18, however Lynch on the time stated he was “waiting for the vaccine to be first offered to health care personnel, first responders and vulnerable seniors” in his district, the Boston Herald reported. It is unclear when Lynch in the end acquired his first dose of the vaccine; he would have acquired the second dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine about three to 4 weeks after the primary.
Public well being specialists have emphasized that it normally takes one week after the second dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine to succeed in 95 p.c efficacy and two weeks after the second dose of the Moderna vaccine to succeed in 94 p.c efficacy.
“There’s no vaccine that I know that protects you the same day you get it,” Onyema Ogbuagu, the principal investigator for Pfizer’s vaccine trial at Yale University, told The Post’s Allyson Chiu. “On a population level, 95% efficacy still translates to 5/100, or 50/1,000, or 500/10,000 vaccinated persons still being vulnerable to symptomatic disease and maybe even more having asymptomatic carriage.”
At least 23.2 million people in the United States have acquired one or both doses of the vaccine. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends that vaccinated individuals proceed to put on masks, socially distance, keep away from poorly ventilated areas and wash their arms regularly to forestall the unfold of the virus.
“We also don’t yet know whether getting a covid-19 vaccine will prevent you from spreading the virus that causes covid-19 to other people, even if you don’t get sick yourself,” CDC pointers state. “While experts learn more about the protection that covid-19 vaccines provide under real-life conditions, it will be important for everyone to continue using all the tools available to help stop this pandemic.”
Mask-wearing specifically has turn into politicized, together with within the hallways of Congress. After the Jan. 6 siege on the Capitol, a number of Democrats stated they feared they’d been uncovered to the virus after sheltering with Republican lawmakers who refused to put on masks. In the next, at least three lawmakers tested positive for the virus.
On Friday, Rep. Cori Bush (D-Mo.) accused Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) of berating her in the hallways after she informed Greene to placed on a masks. The incident, coupled with different hostile rhetoric and Greene’s refusal to abide by guidelines and protocols put in place as a result of of the pandemic, prompted Bush to resolve to maneuver her workplace away from Greene’s for security causes, the Missouri lawmaker stated.
Mike DeBonis contributed to this report.
