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.
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