Third House lawmaker tests positive for COVID-19 this week

Rep. Jake LaTurner (R-Kan.) announced early Thursday morning that he tested positive for COVID-19, hours after voting on the House floor in support of a challenge to Arizona’s presidential election results.

A statement from LaTurner’s office said that he is currently asymptomatic and would not cast any more votes on the House floor in the wee hours of Thursday morning. The statement said that he learned of his test result “late Wednesday evening.”

“Congressman LaTurner is following the advice of the House physician and CDC guidelines and, therefore, does not plan to return to the House floor for votes until he is cleared to do so,” the statement said.

LaTurner is the third House member to have tested positive for COVID-19 this week, following Texas GOP Reps. Kay Granger and Kevin Brady.

Granger and Brady are similarly asymptomatic and both received their first doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine last month.

Pfizer has said the vaccine is 95 percent effective after two doses administered three weeks apart. But the vaccine is only estimated to be 52 percent effective with the first dose.

The House and Senate floor debates over the GOP challenge to President-elect Joe Biden’s victory in Arizona were delayed for several hours after rioters in support of President Trump breached security and stormed the Capitol.

The House also voted early Thursday morning to reject a challenge to Pennsylvania’s election results, a few hours after beating back the objection to Arizona.

Lawmakers in the House chamber while protesters tried to break inside were evacuated to a secure location on Capitol Hill, along with staff and reporters who were present.

House members also gathered closely together on the floor on Sunday night at one point during the opening day of the new session of Congress, which subsequently prompted an admonishment from Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) for failing to observe social distancing guidelines.