Congress\u2019 top doctor urged lawmakers Monday to move to a \u201cmaximal telework posture,\u201d citing \u201cunprecedented\u201d numbers of COVID-19 cases at the Capitol that he said are mostly breakthrough infections of people already vaccinated.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The seven-day average rate of infection at the Capitol\u2019s testing center has grown from less than 1% to more than 13%, Brian P. Monahan, the attending physician, wrote in a letter to congressional leaders obtained by The Associated Press. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Monahan said there have been \u201can unprecedented number of cases in the Capitol community affecting hundreds of individuals.\u201d Citing what he said was limited sampling as of Dec. 15, he said about 61% of the cases were the new, highly contagious omicron variant while 38% were the delta variant.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
While providing no figure, he said \u201cmost\u201d cases at the Capitol are breakthroughs. Of those testing positive, 35% are asymptomatic, he said. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Monahan\u2019s letter came as the worldwide spread of the omicron variant has prompted a deluge of COVID-19 cases, now averaging 400,000 reported new infections in the U.S. daily. The growing caseloads have caused cascading absentee rates at workplaces around the country including among schools, health care providers, airlines, police and fire departments and other essential workers, sparking concerns that disrupted services will only worsen in the near future.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThe daily case rates will increase even more substantially in the coming weeks,\u201d Monahan warned.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Congress has been in recess since mid-December. The Senate returned Monday and held an abbreviated 17-minute session, but postponed a scheduled evening vote after Washington was hit by several inches of snow. The House was not due to return to the Capitol until next week.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Spokespersons for Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., did not immediately have information on whether Monahan\u2019s letter might prompt any changes in Congress\u2019 operations. Regular lunches that Senate Democrats have together were expected to be virtual only for at least this week. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Monahan urged congressional offices and agencies \u2014 which employ thousands of food service, custodial and other workers who serve Congress \u2014 to reduce in-person activities \u201cto the maximum extent possible\u201d by using electronic communications instead. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Currently, the House requires lawmakers and aides to wear masks in the House chamber except when they\u2019ve been recognized to speak and in most other settings in the Capitol and House office buildings. The Senate encourages mask wearing but doesn\u2019t require it. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Monahan said people should wear properly fitted, medical grade KN95 masks or better. Blue surgical masks and cloth masks \u201cmust be replaced,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Mask wearing is \u201ca critical necessity unless the individual is alone in a closed office space or eating or drinking in a food service area,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Republican lawmakers and aides from both chambers are markedly less likely than Democrats to wear masks around the Capitol, with some rejecting widespread scientific acceptance that proper mask wearing can reduce the risk of spreading COVID-19 infections. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Lawmakers can be fined up to $2,500 each time they don\u2019t wear a mask on the House floor, under a resolution the chamber approved last year. All fines announced publicly so far by the House Ethics Committee for flouting that rule have been against Republicans.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Monahan said breakthrough cases have not led to any deaths or hospitalizations among vaccinated lawmakers or congressional staff. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
But he said that while people who\u2019ve received two vaccinations and a booster generally suffer mild symptoms, even those can lead to six to 12 months of \u201clong COVID.\u201d That could include serious cardiovascular, neurological and cognitive problems, he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
A \u201creasonable estimate\u201d is that 6% to 10% of cases could end up that way, he added.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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