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Coronavirus: Rep. Tim Ryan tests positive for COVID-19

Rep. Tim Ryan said Monday that he is experiencing mild symptoms of COVID-19 after testing positive for the virus.

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“I’m grateful to have the protection of a safe and effective vaccine – and I know without it, this illness could be much, much worse,” the Ohio Democrat wrote in a social media post announcing his diagnosis. He urged Ohio residents “to help us crush this pandemic by wearing a mask and getting vaccinated so that we can get back to normal.”

The 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. 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 Monday morning, about 54% of Americans, or 181.7 million people, have been fully vaccinated against COVID-19, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Nearly 64% of the population, or 212 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 42.1 million COVID-19 infections and reported more than 674,000 deaths nationwide, according to numbers compiled by Johns Hopkins University.

Over 228.8 million COVID-19 cases have been reported worldwide, resulting in nearly 4.7 million deaths, according to Johns Hopkins.