Rep. Darren Soto said Wednesday that he is experiencing mild symptoms of COVID-19 after recently testing positive for the virus.
In a statement posted on social media, the Florida Democrat said he was “grateful to only have mild symptoms” and credited the vaccine.
“I am currently self-isolating and working remotely,” he wrote. “I encourage everyone to (get vaccinated) to save lives!”
The representative added that he received monoclonal antibody treatment earlier Wednesday “to further reduce potential symptoms.”
“This treatment is helpful but not a substitute for the COVID-19 vaccine,” he wrote.
This morning I also received monoclonal antibody treatment to further reduce potential symptoms. This treatment is helpful but not a substitute for the COVID-19 vaccine. I encourage everyone to get vaccinated as soon as possible: https://t.co/3Mm7LPNMxT pic.twitter.com/vXNXAaSCTz
— Rep. Darren Soto (@RepDarrenSoto) September 8, 2021
The diagnosis is the latest known breakthrough case of COVID-19 in Congress. Last month, Sens. John Hickenlooper, D-Colo., Roger Wicker, R-Miss., and Angus King, I-Maine, Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., confirmed they had breakthrough COVID-19 infections
>> Related: Coronavirus: Sen. John Hickenlooper tests positive for COVID-19
In July, Rep. Vern Buchanan, R-Fla., who is also fully vaccinated, announced that he had tested positive for COVID-19. An unidentified White House official and an aide for House Speaker Nancy Pelosi also tested positive for the viral infection that month despite being vaccinated.
Research has shown that fully vaccinated people can spread the highly transmissible delta variant of the virus, which accounts for more than 80% of all COVID-19 cases reported nationwide; however, officials have noted that vaccination protects well against severe and life-threatening symptoms of the viral infection.
>> Related: Coronavirus: Vaccinated White House official, Pelosi aide test positive for COVID-19
As of Tuesday morning, just over 53% of Americans, or 176.6 million people, have been fully vaccinated, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. More than 62% of the population, or 207.5 million people, have gotten at least one dose of any of the available vaccines, according to the CDC.
Since the start of the pandemic, officials have confirmed nearly 40.3 million COVID-19 infections and reported more than 650,800 deaths nationwide, according to numbers compiled by Johns Hopkins University.
More than 222.1 million COVID-19 cases have been reported worldwide, resulting in nearly 4.6 million deaths, according to Johns Hopkins.
©2021 Cox Media Group
