Congress’ doctor wants ‘maximal telework’ amid virus surge

WASHINGTON (AP) – Congress’ top doctor says lawmakers should move to a “maximal telework posture.”

The attending physician, Brian P. Monahan, says there have been surging numbers of coronavirus cases at the Capitol, with most of them breakthrough infections of people already vaccinated.

In a letter to congressional leaders, Monahan says the seven-day average rate of infection at the Capitol’s testing center has risen from less than 1% to more than 13%.

He says there has been “an unprecedented number of cases in the Capitol community affecting hundreds of individuals.” He says about 61% of the cases were the new omicron variant while 38% were the delta variant.