Florida Rep. Vern Buchanan tests positive for Covid despite being fully vaccinated

Why it matters: More than 185 million people have received at least one dose of a coronavirus vaccine, including more than 160 million who are fully inoculated. Yet, while rare, it’s still possible to contract the coronavirus after being vaccinated.

In Florida, about 54 percent of the state’s residents over the age of 12 are fully vaccinated. But the state has also seen a surge recently in coronavirus cases. Jeff Zients, the White House coronavirus coordinator, said last week that Florida accounts for almost one in five new infections nationally.

Florida had more than 46,000 new cases from July 9 to July 15, almost double from the previous week.

Buchanan’s case follows news over the weekend that five lawmakers from Texas who traveled to Washington to block Republicans from advancing changes to Texas’ voting laws also tested positive for the virus. The five Texas lawmakers were all reportedly fully vaccinated.