MEAWW.COM / NEWS / HUMAN INTEREST

How did Pramila Jayapal contract Covid-19 despite being vaccinated? Democratic Rep lashes out at GOP anti-maskers

News of her testing positive makes Jayapal the second lawmaker to have contracted the virus after New Jersey Rep Bonnie Watson Coleman

Democratic Representative Pramila Jayapal lashed out at the Republican legislators for refusing to wear masks inside a secured room while on lockdown during the Capitol riots. Jayapal issued a statement on Monday night making it public that was diagnosed with Covid-19. “Too many Republicans have refused to take this pandemic and virus seriously, and in doing so, they endanger everyone around them,” Jayapal said. Only hours after President Donald Trump incited a deadly assault on our Capitol, our country, and our democracy, many Republicans still refused to take the bare minimum Covid-19 precaution and simply wear a damn mask in a crowded room during a pandemic — creating a superspreader event on top of a domestic terrorist attack.”

News of her testing positive makes Jayapal the second lawmaker to have contracted the virus after New Jersey Rep Bonnie Watson Coleman. However, discussions on Twitter were about how she tested positive despite having been vaccinated. "Wasn't she one of the ones who took a vaccine?" one of the netizens asked, and received a response that read: "You’re being willfully ignorant. She only got her first shot two days before the attack, and the vaccine doesn’t prevent you from getting it anyway! It significantly reduces the effects of Covid-19 because your body recognizes it and responds ASAP. That’s how a vaccine works..."

Another tweet seconded the theory. "She got her first dose just two days prior; that's not enough time for it to take effect, and you don't get the full protection until after the second dose."

According to the Seattle Times, one of the videos posted on Youtube shortly after the devastating riots saw Rep. Lisa Blunt Rochester, D-Del., attempting to hand masks to her colleagues who were sealed in a secure facility. The site added that at least six Republican representatives could be seen refusing the masks. 

"I am also calling for serious fines to be immediately levied on every single Member who refuses to wear a mask in the Capitol,” Jayapal opined. “Additionally, any Member who refuses to wear a mask should be immediately removed from the floor by the Sergeant at Arms. This is not a joke. Our lives and our livelihoods are at risk, and anyone who refuses to wear a mask should be fully held accountable for endangering our lives because of their selfish idiocy."

A New York Post said it was still unclear if she and Coleman who took shelter with the maskless crowd were inside the same room. Meanwhile, there were also tweets that saw people expressing their anger towards the lack of responsibility from the lawmakers' end. "Wearing a simple disposable mask in a crowded room might not have prevented some Covid transmission. But purposely NOT wearing one was an assault. This news about Rep. Jayapal makes me so angry. She deserves respect and protection," read one of the tweets.

"Also worth noting that REGARDLESS of who ended up having it, EVERYONE should have been wearing a mask JUST IN CASE they were positive. Rep. Jayapal did the right thing – the GOP a**h*les who refused to do a BASIC, DECENT THING are stupid a**h*les even if they were negative," reckoned one of the people.