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Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell urged Americans to get vaccinated against COVID-19 on Tuesday
He also warned of a repeat of last year s rising caseloads and shutdowns if people refuse to protect themselves from the coronavirus
McConnell urged people in the United States to ignore demonstrably bad advice coming from pundits and anti-vaxxers
As cases skyrocket, he noted nearly all new virus hospitalizations nationwide are among people who have not been vaccinated
Delta variant of the coronavirus has been detected in the U.S. Capitol
Dr. Brian P. Monahan, the attending physician of the Capitol, revealed several fully vaccinated congressional aides have tested positive for COVID
Breakthrough COVID-19 Cases Hit Pelosi’s Office, White House Staff
A current total of two Washington staffers, one of Pelosi’s and one of Biden’s, have been infected with COVID after being fully vaccinated, but the President and Speaker themselves were reportedly not exposed.
It seemed like a clever political stunt, but an unintended consequence has hit the delegation of Texas lawmakers who jetted to Washington, DC to prevent a quorum on that state’s voting legislation. Namely, they brought a little COVID with them. And it has not infected the highest levels of the U.S. government, but it has infected the highest offices, as Axios reported Tuesday morning that staffers for Nancy Pelosi and Joe Biden have been infected with COVID-19.
White House press secretary Jen Psaki rejected the “superspreader” label. She said that was “not a characterization we’re making here” and praised the Texas Democrats for drawing attention to H.R. 1, the far-reaching Democratic elections bill stuck in the Senate.
“Our message continues to be ‘thanks for standing up for voting rights and the rights of Americans to have their voice heard at the voting booth,’ and we appreciate their efforts in that regard,” Ms. Psaki said at the White House press briefing Tuesday.
At this point, however, the nearly 60 Texas House Democrats who absconded from the state July 12 to break quorum and prevent an elections bill from passing the Republican-controlled House may have become more of a liability than an asset.
Douglas Rissing/iStock
(WASHINGTON) A fully vaccinated spokesperson for House Speaker Pelosi tested positive for COVID-19 this week after interacting with several infected Texas Democratic state legislators who traveled to the capital.
“Yesterday, a fully-vaccinated senior spokesperson in the Speaker’s Press Office tested positive for COVID after contact with members of the Texas state legislature last week. This individual has had no contact with the speaker since exposure,” Pelosi spokesperson Drew Hammill told ABC News.
“The entire press office is working remotely today with the exception of individuals who have had no exposure to the individual or have had a recent negative test. Our office will continue to follow the guidance of the Office of Attending Physician closely,” he added.