Rep. Hernandez tests positive for COVID-19 post-vaccination

In a statement posted on Twitter on Wednesday night, state Rep. Alma Hernandez, D-Tucson, said she tested positive for COVID-19 nearly three months after receiving her second Pfizer vaccine.

Hernandez said she has continued to take the pandemic “very seriously” and has worn her mask, washed her hands, and socially distanced, on top of being vaccinated 11 weeks ago. Hernandez added her symptoms were “pretty mild” and she would quarantine in her Phoenix home for at least the next week.

“The pandemic has not come to an end,” the statement said. “Be safe, take care and do not let your guard down even after you have been vaccinated.”

As of April 16, there were 495 confirmed “vaccine breakthrough cases” reported in Arizona, meaning cases where someone tested positive for COVID-19 after receiving a vaccine. Of those 495, the Arizona Department of Health Services said 349 received Pfizer, 139 received Moderna and seven received the single Johnson & Johnson shot.

No deaths have been reported due to COVID-19 breakthrough infection and only 13% resulted in hospitalization.

In an email to The Arizona Republic, the department said they are partnering with the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and local health departments to investigate breakthrough infections and “identify patterns or trends in patient characteristics, the administered vaccine, or variant strains.”

“While no vaccine is 100% effective, we continue to encourage all Arizonans to get vaccinated against COVID-19,” ADHS said in the email. “Vaccines are a safe and effective public health tool, critical to stopping the spread of illness and preventing severe disease and death from COVID-19.”