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US congressman contracts COVID despite two-shot vaccine treatment

The infected congressman had complete the two-injection treatment but has still tested positive.

The infected congressman had complete the two-injection treatment but has still tested positive. Photo: Getty

US congressman Stephen Lynch has tested positive for COVID-19 after receiving both doses of the coronavirus vaccine.

A spokeswoman for the Massachusetts Democrat, who attended President Joe Biden’s inauguration last week, confirmed his diagnosis and current asymptomatic status on Saturday, CNN reports.

“This afternoon US Rep. F. Lynch received a positive test result for COVID-19 after a staff member in the congressman’s Boston office tested positive earlier in the week,” Molly Rose Tarpey said.

Congressman Stephen Lynch is the latest US politician to be vaccinated and still test positive. Photo: US Congress

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 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.

Representative Bonne Watson Coleman (New Jersey), Representative Pramila Jayapal (Washington) and Representative Brad Schneider (Illinois) – tested positive for the virus earlier this month after sheltering in place during the January 6 insurrection with members who refused to mask up.

-AAP

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