Dancing With the Stars competitor and star Peloton trainer Cody Rigsby tested positive for COVID-19 on Thursday, September 30, 2021. That’s just four days after his Dancing With the Stars partner Cheryl Burke announced she was also diagnosed with a breakthrough COVID-19 infection.
“Hi friends, I wanted to check in with you to share some news. While I am fully vaccinated and took many precautions, following CDC guidelines, I recently tested positive for COVID-19,” Rigsby wrote on Instagram. This breakthrough infection is actually the second time that Rigsby, a cycling instructor with Peloton, has gotten the virus, he explained in a video.
Rigsby described the symptoms he was experiencing as extremely mild compared to his more severe first bout of COVID-19, which occurred early in 2021 before he was vaccinated. “I right now have really mild symptoms. Congestion, little bit of a headache, cough,” Rigsby said. “But in comparison to when I had COVID earlier this year, it is night and day. So that must be the vaccine and the antibodies working, so we’re super grateful for that.”
Rigsby’s experience lines up with what researchers know about how vaccination affects the symptoms of a breakthrough infection. In general, breakthrough infections do tend to be milder than COVID-19 infections in unvaccinated people because after the vaccine, the body is better prepared to mount an effective immune response against the virus.
In a person who is fully vaccinated, their immune system has already been triggered to practice fighting off the pathogen. And while vaccination does not always prevent infection or illness altogether (especially if immunity has waned over time, the person has an impaired immune system, or the virus has evolved in certain ways), it is typically enough to protect against getting seriously sick. Research shows that people who have been fully vaccinated have a significantly reduced risk of severe illness, hospitalization, and death. (Some research indicates that COVID-19 reinfections may also be milder for the same reason, though there is less data here.)
Rigsby is currently self-isolating and taking it easy at home. “To properly rest and recover as well as avoid exposing others, I will be taking a break in the coming days,” he wrote in the caption.
“I appreciate all your support and I’ll be back as soon as I am ready.” Rigsby also joked that he was going to go enjoy as much delicious food as he could while he still has his sense of taste.
Rigsby, who had still been leading virtual Peloton classes filmed in-studio in New York City while participating in DWTS (filmed in Los Angeles), didn’t comment on how he thinks he may have been exposed to the virus. His dance partner, Burke, who first shared she tested positive in an emotional Instagram post on Sunday, also said she wasn’t sure how she got COVID-19. But the dance pro told E! News this week that she had been flying frequently between L.A. and NYC in order to maintain her and Rigsby’s intensive rehearsal schedule. Burke was also fully vaccinated and has a mild case of the illness.
It’s not yet clear whether the pair will be returning to the dance competition. “As far as my fate on Dancing With the Stars, we are still trying to figure that out right now,” said Rigsby, who already sat out this week’s competition while Burke was sidelined by the virus. “So please be patient with that answer.”
Related:
- DWTS Pro Cheryl Burke on Her Sobriety Challenges: ‘To Say It’s Been Easy Would Be a Lie’
- Melissa Joan Hart Is ‘Disappointed’ in Herself After Contracting Breakthrough Case of COVID-19
- It’s Not Just The View: Here’s How Common False-Positive Results Are With Rapid COVID-19 Tests