Rep. Stephen Lynch tests positive for COVID-19 after getting second dose of vaccine
Rep. Stephen Lynch (D-Mass.) tested positive for the COVID-19, but remains asymptomatic, after receiving the second dose of the coronavirus vaccine, his office said Friday.
Why it matters: Lynch's case stresses the importance of continuing to social distance and wear a face mask even after getting vaccinated.
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What they're saying: Lynch received a positive test result on Friday "after a staff member in the Congressman's Boston office had tested positive earlier in the week," Lynch's spokesperson, Molly Rose Tarpey, said in a statement, per the Boston Globe.
"Congressman Lynch had received the second dose of the Pfizer vaccine and subsequently received a negative COVID-19 test prior to attending President Biden's Inauguration," she added.
Lynch "remains asymptomatic and feels fine" but will continue to "self-quarantine and will vote by proxy in Congress during 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 vaccines authorized in the U.S., say their vaccines are about 95% effective at preventing people from getting sick after getting the second dose of their respective vaccines.
"It typically takes a few weeks for the body to build immunity (protection against the virus that causes COVID-19) after vaccination," the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention notes.
"That means it’s possible a person could be 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.
It is also not yet clear how effective the vaccine is against infection and transmission, but researchers say it should prevent people from getting sick.
Go deeper: We're selling the coronavirus vaccine short
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