Pennsylvania Republican becomes latest COVID-19 breakthrough case in Congress

Rep. Glenn “G.T.” Thompson (R-Pa.) disclosed Friday that he had tested positive for COVID-19 despite being vaccinated, hours after he had voted in person on the House floor.

Thompson’s office said in a statement that he “began experiencing cold-like symptoms” on Friday afternoon and subsequently tested positive for COVID-19.

pic.twitter.com/Kw3BtgTi1o

— Glenn “GT” Thompson (@CongressmanGT) October 22, 2021

Thompson, 62, is being treated at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center “out of an abundance of caution,” his office added.

“He is in good spirits and further updates will be made available in the coming days,” his office said.

Thompson is the 18th member of Congress — among 14 in the House and four in the Senate — to test positive for COVID-19 despite being fully vaccinated. Two additional House Republicans also tested positive over the summer, but it’s not clear whether they were vaccinated.

Hours before his diagnosis, Thompson had cast votes on the House floor Friday morning against a bill to expand requirements for employers to provide accommodations for workers who are nursing mothers and need to pump breast milk.

House members have had the option to vote by proxy during the pandemic since May 2020 but Thompson was not among the lawmakers who voted by proxy on Friday, according to the House clerk’s website.

The House mask mandate also remains in effect, with fines starting at $500 to enforce compliance in the House chamber.

Since the start of the pandemic, at least 71 House members and 11 senators have tested positive for COVID-19, according to The Hill’s tally. Members of Congress were among the first Americans granted access to COVID-19 vaccines days after they were first approved by health authorities last December.

Starting in July, vaccinated members of Congress have begun contracting breakthrough cases of COVID-19. The lawmakers who have contracted breakthrough cases of COVID-19 have generally reported experiencing “mild” symptoms.

House members who have tested positive despite being vaccinated include Reps. Vern Buchanan (R-Fla.), Ralph Norman (R-S.C.), Sharice Davids (D-Kan.), Troy Nehls (R-Texas), Mike Doyle (D-Pa.), Darren Soto (D-Fla.), Joe Morelle (D-N.Y.), Tim Ryan (D-Ohio), Bob Latta (R-Ohio), Brian Babin (R-Texas), Kelly Armstrong (R-N.D.), Bob Gibbs (R-Ohio), Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-Wash.) and Thompson.

Sens. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.), Roger Wicker (R-Miss.), Angus King (I-Maine) and John Hickenlooper (D-Colo.) tested positive in August despite being vaccinated.