The nation in brief

The Nation in Brief

Lawmaker gets covid before 2nd shot

SANTA ANA, Calif. -- A California congressman contracted the coronavirus before he could get a second dose of vaccine that would have improved his immunity.

Democratic Rep. Lou Correa announced Saturday that he tested positive upon returning home from Washington, D.C., prompting him to self-quarantine away from his family.

His office said he received the first dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine on Dec. 19 and has not received the second shot that would have boosted his immunity to about 95%.

"While this diagnosis will prevent me from attending the much-anticipated inauguration of President-elect Joe Biden, I look forward to working with the new administration to unite our country and help the millions of people devastated by the pandemic," Correa said in a statement.

Correa, who represents central Orange County, is the latest House member to report testing positive since dozens of lawmakers huddled together for protection during the Jan. 6 insurrection at the U.S. Capitol. Democratic Rep. Adriano Espaillat of New York said Thursday that he had contracted the coronavirus even after getting the second dose of the vaccine.

Correa's office said he was not in the secure room but was outside assisting Capitol Police. He was confronted later last week by a group of President Donald Trump supporters, some not wearing masks, at Dulles International Airport in Virginia.

The vaccine is about 52% effective after the first dose, Pfizer-BioNTech said. The efficacy rises to about 95% after the second dose.

GOP Rep. Boebert's spokesman quits

DENVER -- The spokesman for Republican U.S. Rep. Lauren Boebert has quit less than two weeks after she was sworn into office, saying he was prompted to act by the insurrection at the nation's Capitol.

Ben Goldey confirmed his departure to The Colorado Sun after it was first reported Saturday by Axios. The Sun reported that Goldey did not respond to additional questions, but he told Axios he was leaving in the wake of the deadly Jan. 6 riot at the Capitol.

Boebert, a first-term Colorado Republican with links to the QAnon conspiracy theory, has sought to overturn President-elect Joe Biden's victory and gained attention for vowing to carry a gun in the Capitol.

"Following the events of January 6th, I've decided to part ways with the office," Goldey told Axios. "I wish her and the people of Colorado's Third District the best."

Boebert's office declined to comment. "The office does not comment on internal personnel matters with individual employees," Jeff Small, Boebert's chief of staff, told The Colorado Sun on Saturday.

Goldey's replacement has already been hired. Boebert's staff is largely made up of former staffers of President Donald Trump and former U.S. Sen. Cory Gardner, a Colorado Republican.

762,615 pounds of Hot Pockets recalled

Some 762,615 pounds of pepperoni pizza Hot Pockets are being recalled, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Food Safety and Inspection Service.

The not-ready-to-eat product being recalled by Nestle Prepared Foods "may be contaminated with extraneous materials, specifically pieces of glass and hard plastic," the agency announced Friday in a news release.

The recall was dubbed a Class I, meaning it's "a health hazard situation where there is a reasonable probability that the use of the product will cause serious, adverse health consequences or death."

The affected product was produced between Nov. 13-16 with a 14-month shelf life and a "BEST BEFORE 2022" notation.

The 54-ounce cartons contain 12 "Nestle HOT POCKETS BRAND SANDWICHES: PREMIUM PEPPERONI MADE WITH PORK, CHICKEN & BEEF PIZZA GARLIC BUTTERY CRUST."

The lot codes are: 0318544624, 0319544614 and 0321544614.

The Food Safety and Inspection Service urged consumers to throw away or return the product.

Nestle acquired Chef America, which produced the top-selling Hot Pockets and Toaster Pizza snacks for the microwave, for $2.6 billion in 2002.

4.2 quake felt in San Francisco area

AROMAS, Calif. -- People throughout the San Francisco Bay Area on Saturday night reported feeling a magnitude 4.2 earthquake that hit the region.

The earthquake hit at 8:01 p.m and had an epicenter about 2.5 miles southeast of Aromas, a town of about 2,650 people that straddles Monterey and San Benito counties, the U.S. Geological Survey said. About five minutes later, the same area was hit by a magnitude-3.0 temblor, the agency said.

The San Jose Mercury News reported that social media activity indicates that the earthquake was felt not only in the counties near where it was centered but also at least as far as San Francisco and Contra Costa counties.

There were no immediate reports of any major injuries or damage, the newspaper said.

The initial quake was the second-biggest earthquake in California this year, the Mercury News said. A 4.3 earthquake was reported Jan. 2 near Pinnacles National Park, also in the Monterey County region, the newspaper reported.

-- Compiled by Democrat-Gazette staff from wire reports

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