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Coronavirus: Rep. Glenn Thompson tests positive for COVID-19

BETHESDA, Md. — Officials with Rep. Glenn Thompson’s office said Friday that the Pennsylvania Republican tested positive for COVID-19 after experiencing “cold-like symptoms.”

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In a statement, officials said the congressman is fully vaccinated.

“Out of an abundance of caution, he is being treated at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center,” the statement said, adding that “he is in good spirits.”

Thompson’s diagnosis is the latest known breakthrough case of COVID-19 in Congress. Others who have tested positive after vaccination include Sens. John Hickenlooper, D-Colo., Roger Wicker, R-Miss., Angus King, I-Maine and Lindsey Graham, R-S.C. Reps. Cathy McMorris Rodgers, R-Wash., Tim Ryan, D-Ohio, Vern Buchanan, R-Fla. and Joe Morrelle, D-N.Y., have also reported breakthrough infections.

Research has shown that fully vaccinated people can spread the highly transmissible delta variant of the virus; however, officials have noted that vaccination protects well against severe and life-threatening symptoms of the viral infection.

As of Friday morning, about 57% of Americans, or 190.1 million people, have been fully vaccinated against COVID-19, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Just over 66% of the population, or 219.9 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 over 45.3 million COVID-19 infections and reported more than 735,000 deaths nationwide, according to numbers compiled by Johns Hopkins University.

Over 242.8 million COVID-19 cases have been reported worldwide, resulting in more than 4.9 million deaths, according to Johns Hopkins.