Wednesday, December 29, 2021

The N.F.L. revises its coronavirus protocols after more than 90 players test positive/ NYT

What a joke!  Most of the "positive" players are asymptomatic. From the Dec. 29 NYT:

In a memo sent to all 32 of the league’s teams, Commissioner Roger Goodell said players infected with the coronavirus — whether vaccinated or unvaccinated — now need to quarantine for only five days, not 10, if their symptoms improve, after the C.D.C. revised its recommendation on Monday. Factors listed in the memo include whether the player’s fever subsided after 24 hours without medication, if their cough improved, and if team and league medical officials determine the player can return to the facility.

The new protocols have drastic implications for the N.F.L., which has struggled to contain a surge of coronavirus cases as the playoffs approach. More than 94 percent of the N.F.L.’s players are vaccinated...

Asymptomatic vaccinated players can also “test out” of protocols and return to play as soon as 24 hours after a positive test if they are no longer deemed contagious.

But Tuesday’s memo is the first modification of protocols for the unvaccinated, who all season have been subject to stiffer requirements than their inoculated teammates. They are tested daily and must take separate planes to away games, among other things...

The changes come after more than 90 players tested positive for the coronavirus on Monday, nearly one week after the N.F.L. rescheduled three games because of virus outbreaks fueled by the Omicron variant...

The league stopped short of requiring vaccinations for players, but strongly incentivized it by subjecting players who were not inoculated to stricter protocols...

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