SAN FRANCISCO — Golden State Warriors guard Damion Lee said he tested positive for COVID-19 despite being fully vaccinated.
Lee, 28, is considered one of the rare “breakthrough cases” — one of only 6,000 or so people who have tested positive for the virus after going through the full vaccination process, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
“I did test positive for COVID about two weeks ago,” Lee said prior to Thursday night’s 118-97 win over the Oklahoma City Thunder. “I did get the vaccine the middle, end of March, but essentially this was just a rare breakthrough case. … Right now, there’s no timeline in the immediate future for me coming back and playing.”
Lee, who hasn’t played since April 19, said he received the Johnson & Johnson vaccine, which requires only one dose, on March 22. He tested positive for COVID-19 on April 21 and experienced a variety of symptoms.
“I had headache, chills, sneezing, congestion, soreness, body aches,” Lee said while reading a list off his phone to keep track of everything he dealt with. “It felt like I was hit by a car. Like hit by two cars at once every step I took. It hurt, it was pain, soreness. It felt like there was a weight on my chest for a couple of days, like it was just hard to breathe.”
Lee has been cleared to return to the Warriors’ facility, and he was sitting on the side of the team bench during Thursday’s game. He said he will get a chest X-ray and a variety of other tests this Monday as doctors continue to monitor his recovery.
Lee hasn’t been able to resume basketball activities yet — he is still experiencing some symptoms — but said he is happy to be back around his teammates and out of the house.
Lee is averaging 6.5 points and 3.2 rebounds on the year.