Vaccinated Colorado Rep. Crow Tests Positive for Breakthrough COVID-19 Infection

Rep. Jason Crow (D-Colo.), a veteran of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, talks to reporters following a caucus meeting at the U.S. Capitol in Washington on Aug. 24, 2021. (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

Rep. Jason Crow (D-Colo.) announced on Sunday night that he tested positive for a breakthrough COVID-19 infection but is experiencing mild symptoms.

“I just returned from an official congressional delegation visit to Ukraine and tested positive for a breakthrough COVID infection,” Crow, who is vaccinated, wrote on Twitter. “I’m thankful to be fully vaccinated and boosted and experiencing only mild symptoms (the vaccine is safe and effective).”

While COVID-19 vaccines are somewhat effective at preventing infection, serious illness, and death, they are not 100 percent effective, and some individuals who are fully vaccinated can still contract the disease, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has said. This is referred to as a “vaccine breakthrough infection.”

An individual with a vaccine breakthrough infection is still at risk of spreading the virus to others but is less likely to develop serious side effects compared to someone who is unvaccinated, as per the CDC.

Crow, a Democrat, also urged everyone to get vaccinated if they’re eligible.

“Everyone eligible should get vaccinated and boosted to help prevent major illness and protect our community. I’ll continue to push for affordable access to rapid, reliable testing for all Americans,” he said.

Crow’s announcement came shortly after two other Democratic senators, Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) and Cory Booker (D-N.J.), also revealed Sunday that they tested positive for the CCP (Chinese Communist Party) virus, which causes the disease COVID-19.

Both senators, who are vaccinated and boosted, said they were suffering only mild symptoms from the disease.

“I regularly test for COVID & while I tested negative earlier this week, today I tested positive with a breakthrough case,” Warren wrote on Twitter. “Thankfully, I am only experiencing mild symptoms & am grateful for the protection provided against serious illness that comes from being vaccinated & boosted.”

“As cases increase across the country, I urge everyone who has not already done so to get the vaccine and the booster as soon as possible - together, we can save lives,” Warren added.

In a statement, Booker said: “I learned today that I tested positive for COVID-19 after first feeling symptoms on Saturday. My symptoms are relatively mild. I’m beyond grateful to have received two doses of vaccine and, more recently, a booster – I’m certain that without them I would be doing much worse.”

None of the three senators provided details as to which strain of the virus they had contracted. However, their announcements come amid a surge in cases across the globe and the emergence of the Omicron variant.

Omicron currently accounts for around 3 percent of COVID-19 cases in the United States—up from 0.4 percent last week. The remaining 97 percent are attributed to the Delta variant.

Melanie Sun contributed to this report.