Massachusetts Congressman Rep Stephen Lynch Tests Positive For Covid-19 After Receiving Vaccine

Massachusetts Democratic Rep. Stephen Lynch, who had been vaccinated for Covid-19, tested positive for the virus on Friday afternoon, according to his spokeswoman.

CNN reports that Lynch is described as asymptomatic and plans to isolate and vote by proxy in Congress over the coming week.

“This afternoon U.S. Representative Stephen F. Lynch received a positive test result for COVID-19 after a staff member in the Congressman’s Boston office had tested positive earlier in the week,” Molly Rose Tarpey, Lynch’s spokeswoman said in a statement.

Tarpey said the congressman had received a second dose of the Pfizer vaccine and had tested negative for Covid-19 before attending President Biden’s inauguration on January 20th. However, she did not specify the dates on which Lynch received each dose of the vaccine.

The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention states that it “typically takes a few weeks” to build immunity to the virus after vaccination. The vaccine prevents illness but does not necessarily prevent the spread of the infection.