NFL doing away with Covid tests for vaccinated players who are not showing symptoms

[UKBillFan]

https://www.nfl.com/news/new-covid-19-protocol-to-feature-targeted-testing-of-fully-vaccinated-players-st

 

Apologies if this has already been discussed; I had a look back to yesterday but couldn't see a thread. Should reduce the chance of postponements but will certainly allow Covid to spread more freely amongst the players. Will it make the non-vaccinated players consider having the jab, as they could be lined up opposite those who have Covid but not showing symptoms?

[mjd1001]

1 minute ago, UKBillFan said:

https://www.nfl.com/news/new-covid-19-protocol-to-feature-targeted-testing-of-fully-vaccinated-players-st

 

Apologies if this has already been discussed; I had a look back to yesterday but couldn't see a thread. Should reduce the chance of postponements but will certainly allow Covid to spread more freely amongst the players. Will it make the non-vaccinated players consider having the jab, as they could be lined up opposite those who have Covid but not showing symptoms?

I guess it means more games, but isn't a large point of the testing to catch people who AREN'T showing symptoms yet have it so they don't spread it to others?

[UKBillFan]

4 minutes ago, mjd1001 said:

I guess it means more games, but isn't a large point of the testing to catch people who AREN'T showing symptoms yet have it so they don't spread it to others?

 

Exactly. They're more desperate to play the games than protect people because Omicron seems to be less severe, though I don't think there's any proof of this at the moment either way.

[RaoulDuke79]

Lol....safety ☝

[Arkady Renko]

Just now, UKBillFan said:

 

Exactly. They're more desperate to play the games than protect people because Omicron seems to be less severe, though I don't think there's any proof of this at the moment either way.

There's not "proof," but there is some evidence showing it is more mild.  

[Punching Bag]

8 minutes ago, UKBillFan said:

https://www.nfl.com/news/new-covid-19-protocol-to-feature-targeted-testing-of-fully-vaccinated-players-st

 

Apologies if this has already been discussed; I had a look back to yesterday but couldn't see a thread. Should reduce the chance of postponements but will certainly allow Covid to spread more freely amongst the players. Will it make the non-vaccinated players consider having the jab, as they could be lined up opposite those who have Covid but not showing symptoms?

 

No it will not. They will get paid either way.

[UKBillFan]

Just now, Arkady Renko said:

There's not "proof," but there is some evidence showing it is more mild.  

 

Some evidence but not peer reviewed or confirmed - they're taking a gamble to get the games done.

[Big Turk]

I mean...how does this make any sense? So MORE people can land on the COVID list??

[JaCrispy]

2 minutes ago, RaoulDuke79 said:

Lol....safety ☝

But everyone already knew this, right? 😉

[Mr. WEO]

1 minute ago, Limeaid said:

 

No it will not. They will get paid either way.

 

 

If they miss games, they shouldn't get paid.  It's not an injury.  

 

If I'm an owner, I wouldn't want to pay them for that choice.

[UKBillFan]

3 minutes ago, Limeaid said:

 

No it will not. They will get paid either way.

 

But they will be more suspectible to a disease that spreads far easier. More likely than not, they will be asymptomatic or just get cold-like symptoms but will they take that risk?

 

3 minutes ago, Big Turk said:

I mean...how does this make any sense? So MORE people can land on the COVID list??

 

I reckon they'll dismiss cold-like symptoms as a cold rather than testing, so it'll only be coughs/change of taste and smell/fever that get tested.

[Cheektowaga Chad]

This was there plan from the start, just being more transparent now 

[Steptide]

15 minutes ago, mjd1001 said:

I guess it means more games, but isn't a large point of the testing to catch people who AREN'T showing symptoms yet have it so they don't spread it to others?

I kinda get the NFL's logic. I mean, yes they want games played and want the money, but in general, anybody who doesn't have symptoms still goes to work everyday and goes about their buisness. To my knowledge, I haven't had covid, but who knows. I'm not tested daily. I'd probably treat vaccinated nfl players the same. There's not really a whole lot more that can be done (outside of masking and being vaccinated) 

[Punching Bag]

1 minute ago, UKBillFan said:

 

But they will be more suspectible to a disease that spreads far easier. More likely than not, they will be asymptomatic or just get cold-like symptoms but will they take that risk?

 

From what I read on TWITter most of the professional athletes who are not getting shot are more concern about shot affecting performance (i.e. has it been adequately tested in population filled with artificial hormones, steroids and other supplements) and how being put on list will affect chance for bonuses.

[UKBillFan]

3 minutes ago, Steptide said:

I kinda get the NFL's logic. I mean, yes they want games played and want the money, but in general, anybody who doesn't have symptoms still goes to work everyday and goes about their buisness. To my knowledge, I haven't had covid, but who knows. I'm not tested daily. I'd probably treat vaccinated nfl players the same. There's not really a whole lot more that can be done (outside of masking and being vaccinated) 

 

I guess it's down to the individual. In the UK, the advice is to fo a lateral flow test everytime you go somewhere or meet somebody; if you test positive isolate and get a PCR test. Not sure how different it is in America.

 

2 minutes ago, Limeaid said:

 

From what I read on TWITter most of the professional athletes who are not getting shot are more concern about shot affecting performance (i.e. has it been adequately tested in population filled with artificial hormones, steroids and other supplements) and how being put on list will affect chance for bonuses.

 

They'll be hoping they don't show any symptoms then!

[Big Turk]

39 minutes ago, UKBillFan said:

 

But they will be more suspectible to a disease that spreads far easier. More likely than not, they will be asymptomatic or just get cold-like symptoms but will they take that risk?

 

 

I reckon they'll dismiss cold-like symptoms as a cold rather than testing, so it'll only be coughs/change of taste and smell/fever that get tested.

 

Then people will start hiding minor symptoms...this has the makings of a disaster

[Juice_32]

Perfect, now to they just need to do away with the testing for everyone and we’ll be all set.

[UKBillFan]

2 minutes ago, Big Turk said:

 

Then people will start hiding minor symptoms...this has the makings of a disaster

 

And if the non-vaccinated players have to be tested daily; if they test positive I think they'll have to go onto Covid protocol even if they're asymptomatic.

[Aussie Joe]

Its going to be ripping around now..

[HalftimeAdjustment]

So, I guess I do not understand why they need to distinguish vaccinated from unvaccinated. If the rule is no tests for asymptomatic players because they can just play... it is the same regardless of vaccination status. You can have an asymptomatic case either way. If the NFL does not want to detect asymptomatic cases, why not just them all go???

[TBBills]

1 hour ago, mjd1001 said:

I guess it means more games, but isn't a large point of the testing to catch people who AREN'T showing symptoms yet have it so they don't spread it to others?

Sometimes the game is more important

[BobbyC81]

3 hours ago, UKBillFan said:

 

Exactly. They're more desperate to play the games than protect people because Omicron seems to be less severe, though I don't think there's any proof of this at the moment either way.

The NBA and NBAPA agreed to the same thing.  Some NBA players even suggested they stop testing.

 

I think odds are likely we see a shutdown again in sports.

 

I read an article by Fauci where he said Omicron may be less severe but a lot more contagious so you have just as likely, if not more, chance of people getting it and it becoming severe.
 

 

[D. L. Hot-Flamethrower]

The NFL has done a good job of handling the situation. I don't know that as a business you could do any better job. They've balanced health and safety with people still being able to work. They have some very reasonable people like Dr. Sills advising them.

[Hapless Bills Fan]

18 hours ago, mjd1001 said:

I guess it means more games, but isn't a large point of the testing to catch people who AREN'T showing symptoms yet have it so they don't spread it to others?

 

That was the stated goal originally

The current policy appears to be slated towards maximizing player availability

 

The idea seems to be that they're back to having everybody mask and stay socially distant in the facility and that, combined with high vaccination rates, will reduce transmission and that transmission during games will still be low. 

 

I don't know what evidence the NFL actually has on any of these points or what data they have that supports Ct >35 being treated as a negative test (they say they have data that shows it correlates with lack of infectiousness)

 

2 hours ago, Beast said:

I wonder what Cole thinks of all this?

 

"Toldja So" would be my guess.

 

To which I must respond, "Yes.  Yes, Cole, You Did.  And if you had a t-shirt that said "Cole was right" (about the NFL's priorities specifically), I would wear it.

[BigAl2526]

I think the change in policy is probably a mistake.  In a big money sport like the NFL, COVID tests are an insignificant inconvenience and cost.  Especially with the arrival of the Omicron variant, there are large numbers of break through cases of COVID, but Omicron may not have severe symptoms in most cases anyway, and the reality of vaccinations may mean there are even larger numbers of assymptomatic cases among vaccinated players than among nonvaccinated persons.  In other words, not testing could result in the league not catching lots of assymptomatic cases which could facilitate the spread of the disease.

[YoloinOhio]

Someone needs to tell Chris brown and Steve tasker because it sounds like they have no idea what the protocols are  on one bills live

Edited December 20, 2021 by YoloinOhio

[Jerome007]

People on here defend this? It's clearer than ever that vaccinated or not you can get covid and transmit it. So ALL players should be tested daily. This way you stop the spread. So far, lots of vaccinated staff and players have tested positive. This doubling down on unvaccinated players is just unjustified madness. And if they supposedly care about not spreading covid, not testing sure isn't the way to go.

[Hapless Bills Fan]

30 minutes ago, T master said:

Why would anyone that applies any amount of common sense to this just stop testing players just because they are vaccinated ?

Did i miss something or have those that have been vaccinated just stopped being able to get or spread the virus ?

Last i heard unless i misinterpreted it even if you are vaccinated you are still able to get it & spread it so who's brilliant deduction was this ? 

 

The NFL seems to believe that vaccinated, asymptomatic players aren't transmitting the virus inside the facility where everyone is required to be masked at all times now, nor are recovering players with PCR Ct >35.  

 

They aren't providing their data to the public, so the rest of us have no clue how grounded in factual data these beliefs may be.  Maybe they're sharing their data with the players or the NFLPA, don't know.

 

The key bit seems to be they think masks, masks everywhere will prevent intra-facility transmission and that in-game transmission won't occur.  But masks are only as good as 1) the quality of the mask and 2) the conscientiousness with which it's worn (which from what I've seen in NFL photos, is Not Good)

 

 

4 minutes ago, Jerome007 said:

People on here defend this? It's clearer than ever that vaccinated or not you can get covid and transmit it. So ALL players should be tested daily. This way you stop the spread. So far, lots of vaccinated staff and players have tested positive. This doubling down on unvaccinated players is just unjustified madness. And if they supposedly care about not spreading covid, not testing sure isn't the way to go.

 

Please don't mistake me explaining what I think their underlying beliefs are with supporting this.  "You can not fight what you can not see", and without testing, they can't see what's going on.

 

IMHO they should be testing everyone, every day.  I think that was a key part of what made it work last season.

[YoloinOhio]

32 minutes ago, T master said:

Why would anyone that applies any amount of common sense to this just stop testing players just because they are vaccinated ?

 

Did i miss something or have those that have been vaccinated just stopped being able to get or spread the virus ?

 

Last i heard unless i misinterpreted it even if you are vaccinated you are still able to get it & spread it so who's brilliant deduction was this ? 

The goal of the nfl is to not reschedule games. The goal of the union is to ensure players do not lose game checks which is what happens to both teams in the case of a forfeit. The nfl research believes the omicron variant is leading to positive tests but they do not believe it to be as severe in its symptoms and therefore is not as concerned about spread as it is player availability. Plus the vaccine does reduce the symptoms as well as the ability to contract it. Therefore reducing testing to only those with symptoms and no vaccine in addition to enhanced protocols to try to curb spread in general is the approach. 

Edited December 20, 2021 by YoloinOhio

[UKBillFan]

7 minutes ago, YoloinOhio said:

Someone needs to tell Chris brown and Steve tasker because it sounds like they have no idea what the protocols are  on one bills live

 

It's only because Peter King mentioned it on the UK television coverage that I double checked it hadn't been mentioned then posted it; the NFL seem to have done a good job of slipping this out under the radar.

[BuffaloRebound]

Or they are saying the unvaccinated are now on their own.  If they wanna opt out, they can.  But they don’t get paid and have until today or tomorrow to do so.  

[YoloinOhio]

1 minute ago, UKBillFan said:

 

It's only because Peter King mentioned it on the UK television coverage that I double checked it hadn't been mentioned then posted it; the NFL seem to have done a good job of slipping this out under the radar.

It was posted in the Dion Dawkins thread on Saturday, just didn’t have its own thread

[eball]

18 hours ago, Big Turk said:

I mean...how does this make any sense? So MORE people can land on the COVID list??

 

What makes sense about holding a vaccinated player with no symptoms out of a game?

[YoloinOhio]

8 minutes ago, Jerome007 said:

People on here defend this? It's clearer than ever that vaccinated or not you can get covid and transmit it. So ALL players should be tested daily. This way you stop the spread. So far, lots of vaccinated staff and players have tested positive. This doubling down on unvaccinated players is just unjustified madness. And if they supposedly care about not spreading covid, not testing sure isn't the way to go.

The nfl believes the variant is less symptomatic but more infectious. They are not trying to stop the spread because they can’t.

[Success]

It's really the only way the season continues.  The #'s of players that would test positive over the next few weeks will only grow significantly (in all likelihood).

 

Has anyone talked about fans at stadiums yet?  I would think that's going to change...

 

[Ray Stonada]

1 minute ago, YoloinOhio said:

The goal of the nfl is to not reschedule games. The goal of the union is to ensure players do lose game checks which is what happens to both teams in the case of a forfeit. The nfl research believes the omicron variant is leading to positive tests but they do not believe it to be as severe in its symptoms and therefore is not as concerned about spread as it is player availability. Plus the vaccine does reduce the symptoms as well as the ability to contract it. Therefore reducing testing to only those with symptoms and no vaccine in addition to enhanced protocols to try to curb spread in general is the approach. 

 

This was my thinking too. My understanding from our family doctor is being vaccinated gives you have a much lower chance of being infected, and if you are, a much, much lower chance of being hospitalized, and eventually dying.

 

Seems the NFL is saying, we won't protect you anymore at the cost of our schedule, because you can make your own choice of what to do to protect yourself. Which kinda makes sense (to me at least)!

[Hapless Bills Fan]

18 hours ago, UKBillFan said:

 

And if the non-vaccinated players have to be tested daily; if they test positive I think they'll have to go onto Covid protocol even if they're asymptomatic.

 

I believe that is correct.  At this point, it makes little sense to me - IF the goal is to control Covid.

 

What the NFL has pivoted towards doing is clearly, getting in the games.

[Bills fan since 87]

8 minutes ago, YoloinOhio said:

The goal of the nfl is to not reschedule games. The goal of the union is to ensure players do not lose game checks which is what happens to both teams in the case of a forfeit. The nfl research believes the omicron variant is leading to positive tests but they do not believe it to be as severe in its symptoms and therefore is not as concerned about spread as it is player availability. Plus the vaccine does reduce the symptoms as well as the ability to contract it. Therefore reducing testing to only those with symptoms and no vaccine in addition to enhanced protocols to try to curb spread in general is the approach. 

 

Sounds right to me.  Pretty simple really.  Well put.

[SCBills]

2 minutes ago, Success said:

It's really the only way the season continues.  The #'s of players that would test positive over the next few weeks will only grow significantly (in all likelihood).

 

Has anyone talked about fans at stadiums yet?  I would think that's going to change...

 

 

That would be state by state, and we know what states would do that.. but with the Super Bowl at SoFi Stadium, I would imagine the NFL would use any leverage they have to make sure states like New York and California don't get any ideas.  

[BuffaloRebound]

4 minutes ago, Hapless Bills Fan said:

 

I believe that is correct.  At this point, it makes little sense to me.

Makes sense to me.  NFL is saying if your vaccinated, your risk is lower.  If your unvaccinated, we ain’t going to cancel games because of your personal decision.