The office for Rep. Stephen Lynch announced on Friday that the Massachusetts Democrat had tested positive coronavirus. Most interestingly, Lynch’s positive test result came after he received the second dose of the Pfizer vaccine.
Spokeswoman Molly Rose Tarpey explained in a statement that Lynch tested positive after coming into contact with a staff member who had testing positive for the virus earlier last week.
“This afternoon U.S. Representative Stephen F. Lynch received a positive test result for COVID-19 Friday after a staff member in the Congressman’s Boston office had tested positive earlier in the week,” Tarpey said, Boston.com reported.
Rep. Stephen Lynch. (Alex Wong/Getty Images)
Tarpey explained that 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. While Mr. Lynch remains asymptomatic and feels fine, he will self-quarantine and will vote by proxy in Congress during the coming week.”
Tarpey did not disclose when Lynch had received each vaccine dose.
According to the Food and Drug Administration, the Pfizer COVID vaccine is administered in two doses with an interval of 21 days between shots.
Testing positive after vaccine?
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention explains that testing positive for COVID-19 is possible because it takes the body several weeks to build viral immunity.
“It typically takes a few weeks for the body to build immunity (protection against the virus that causes COVID-19) after vaccination,” the CDC website explains. “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.”
As CNN reported, “Covid-19 vaccines prevent illness, but do not necessarily prevent infection. If someone tests positive and doesn’t get sick, the vaccine has worked as intended.”