Congressman Stephen Lynch, a Massachusetts Democrat, tested positive for COVID-19 on Friday after receiving the second dose of the Pfizer vaccine earlier this month. Lynch is one of several members of Congress who have tested positive for the virus in recent weeks.
A Lynch spokesman said in a statement that the positive test result came after a member of his Boston office tested positive.
“Congressman Lynch had received the second dose of the Pfizer vaccine and subsequently received a negative test of COVID-19 before attending President Biden’s inauguration,” said Molly Rose Tarpey, Lynch’s director of communications. “While Mr. Lynch remains asymptomatic and feels fine, he will self-quarantine and vote for representation in Congress over the next week.”
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Another member of the Massachusetts House delegation, Congresswoman Lori Trahan, also tested positive for COVID-19 on Thursday.
“I’m currently lucky enough to be asymptomatic and I immediately started quarantining myself,” Trahan said. statement posted on Twitter, adding that “I would cast my votes next week through the House voting representation system.”
Several House Democrats tested positive for COVID-19 in early January after spending closed time with Republican members who refused to wear masks during the January 6 attack on the Capitol. has been “exposed to another occupant with coronavirus infection.”
More than 436,000 Americans have died from COVID-19 and nearly 26 million have contracted the virus.