Rep. Stephen Lynch (D-Mass.) Tested positive for COVID-19, but remains asymptomatic after receiving the second dose of the coronavirus vaccine, his office said Friday.
Why it’s important: Lynch’s case underscores the importance of continuing social distance and wearing a face mask even after getting vaccinated.
What they say: Lynch received a positive test result Friday “after a staff member in the Boston congressman’s office tested positive earlier in the week,” Lynch spokeswoman Molly Rose Tarpey said in a statement. according to the Boston Globe.
- “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,” he added.
- Lynch “remains asymptomatic and feels good,” but will continue to “self-quarantine and vote for representation 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 big picture: Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna, the companies that have developed the two authorized vaccines in the United States, say their vaccines are about 95% effective in preventing people from getting sick after receiving the second dose of their respective vaccines.
- “It usually takes the body a few weeks to create immunity (protection against the virus that causes COVID-19) after vaccination,” the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention notes.
- “This means that it is possible for a person to become infected with the virus that causes COVID-19 just before or just after vaccination and still get sick. This is because the vaccine has not had enough time to provide protection, ”the CDC adds.
- The effectiveness of the vaccine against infection and transmission is also unclear, but researchers say it should prevent people from getting sick.
In depth: We are selling the coronavirus vaccine in the short term