SANTA ANA, California (AP) – A California congressman contracted the coronavirus before he could receive a second dose of vaccine that would have boosted his immunity.
Democratic Representative Lou Correa announced on Saturday that he tested positive upon returning home from Washington, DC, prompting him to quarantine himself away from his family.
His office said he received the first dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine on December 19 and did not receive the second injection that would have boosted his immunity to about 95%.
“While this diagnosis keeps me from attending the highly anticipated inauguration of President-elect Joe Biden, I look forward to working with the new government to unite our country and help the millions of people devastated by the pandemic, Correa said in a statement.
Correa, who represents downtown Orange County, is the last member of the House to test positive since dozens of lawmakers gathered for protection during the January 6 uprising at the Capitol. Democratic Rep. Adriano Espaillat of New York said on Thursday that he contracted the coronavirus even after receiving the second dose of the vaccine.
Correa’s office said he was not in the security room, but assisting outside the Capitol Police. He was later confronted last week by a group of Donald Trump supporters, some of whom were not wearing masks, at Dulles International Airport in Virginia.
The vaccine is about 52% effective after the first dose, Pfizer-BioNTech said. The vaccine efficacy increases to approximately 95% after the second dose.