Rep. Stephen Lynch (D-Mass.) Tested positive for COVID-19 but remains asymptomatic after receiving the second dose of coronavirus vaccine, his office said Friday.
Why it matters: Lynch’s case emphasizes the importance of keeping social distance and wearing a face mask even after you have been vaccinated.
What they say: Lynch received a positive test result on Friday “after a staff member in the office of Congressman in Boston tested positive earlier this week,” Lynch spokeswoman Molly Rose Tarpey said in a statement, according to the Boston Globe.
- “Congressman Lynch received the second dose of Pfizer vaccine and then received a negative COVID-19 test before attending President Biden’s inauguration,” she added.
- Lynch “remains asymptomatic and feels good”, but will continue to be “self-quarantine and will vote by proxy in Congress in the coming weeks.”
- It is unclear when Lynch received each dose of the vaccine.
- Lynch’s office did not immediately respond to Axios’ request for comment.
The whole picture: Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna, the companies that developed the two vaccines authorized in the US, say their vaccines are effective in preventing people from getting sick after receiving the second dose of their respective vaccines.
- “It usually takes a few weeks for the body to build up immunity (protection against the virus that causes COVID-19),” says the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
- “This means that it is possible that someone could become infected with the virus that causes COVID-19 just before or just after vaccination and could still get sick. This is because the vaccine did not have enough time to provide protection,” he added. the CDC at.
- It is also not yet clear how effective the vaccine is against infection and transmission, but according to researchers, it should prevent people from getting sick.
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