NFL Proposes Increased COVID Testing (Every 7 Days) NFLPA Wants Daily Testing

[Old School]

NBC Sports Video: Some NFL players 'dug in' against COVID-19 vaccine. Mike Florio and Peter King discuss Cam Newton and the Patriots' "misunderstanding" regarding COVID-19 testing and the broader issue of player vaccination across the NFL.


ESPN https://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/...-daily-testing



The NFL has proposed increasing its COVID-19 testing cadence for vaccinated players as cases surge around the country and multiple teams deal with case clusters that have sidelined prominent players and coaches this summer.

The league wants to move testing for vaccinated players to once every seven days from once every 14 days, NFL general counsel Larry Ferazani said Thursday in a media briefing. Players who are not fully vaccinated would continue to be tested daily. The proposal requires approval from the NFL Players Association, which has been pushing for all players -- vaccinated and unvaccinated -- to be tested daily.

"That is based on our best effort ... to render the safest possible environment for our players," Ferazani said.

In a statement to ESPN, the NFLPA stopped short of accepting the proposal: "The COVID environment is constantly changing and our success last year was built not only on a foundation of cooperation, but more importantly, on listening to our experts. It is clear with what we know about the Delta variant and with what we have seen already with clubs, testing needs to be a greater focal point."

As of Thursday, nearly 93% of NFL players are at least partially vaccinated, according to NFL chief medical officer Dr. Allen Sills. Staff members have been nearly 100% vaccinated since the start of training camp.

Between Aug. 1 and Aug. 21, the league recorded 68 positive tests among all players and staff from 7,190 tests. Approximately seven times as many unvaccinated players have tested positive as have vaccinated players, per league data. Some teams have produced multiple positive tests at approximately the same time, most notably the Tennessee Titans, who are currently without coach Mike Vrabel and quarterback Ryan Tannehill, among others. But Sills said none of those instances have been classified as "outbreaks" because there was no evidence of "ongoing spread within the club on a widespread basis."

In one such cluster, which Sills declined to identify, 38% of a team's unvaccinated players were infected. One argument for increasing testing among vaccinated players is if they are found to be spreading the virus to teammates or even family members. Asked if that has happened and prompted the proposal for more tests, Sills said: "It's a complicated question to answer." He acknowledged that the league has seen "small clusters of positive cases among vaccinated individuals who share common exposure," but said it hasn't been clear who from that cluster had spread it to whom.


The NFLPA's push to test all players daily is rooted in protocols adopted for the 2020 season, which were put in place and carried out before vaccines were available. Sills, however, said that testing itself did not prevent outbreaks last season and that other mitigation policies -- including masking and avoiding in-person meetings and meals -- proved more valuable.

"People tend to focus on safety, and it's very important that we realize that testing is not prevention," Sills said. "Testing is not preventing anyone from transmitting the virus. It is one part of our mitigation strategy but it's not the key part. ... Testing is obviously something that is helpful and it can be beneficial but we try to apply it in a targeted and intelligent manner and we try to test those people that are most at risk, and that's what we'll continue to recommend. But it's not testing that will get us through this surge or the future of our season here."

[Old School]

ESPN https://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/...lly-vaccinated



NFLPA accepts NFL proposal to increase COVID-19 testing among players who are fully vaccinated

The NFL Players Association has accepted the NFL's proposal to increase COVID-19 testing for fully vaccinated players amid the ongoing Delta variant surge, one of several tweaks the sides made Monday to their joint protocols as the regular season approaches.

Fully vaccinated players will now be tested at least once every seven days, up from once every 14 days. They will be offered the option of testing twice a week, and those with vulnerable cohabitants at home can opt for daily testing, according to the protocols.

The NFLPA has been pushing for daily testing for all players since the start of training camp, but NFL chief medical officer Dr. Allen Sills said last week that current data doesn't paint a clear picture of whether fully vaccinated players and staffers have been responsible for spreading the virus at club facilities. He added that testing itself did not prevent outbreaks last season and that other mitigation policies -- including masking and avoiding in-person meetings and meals -- proved more valuable.

"People tend to focus on safety, and it's very important that we realize that testing is not prevention," Sills said last week. "Testing is not preventing anyone from transmitting the virus. It is one part of our mitigation strategy but it's not the key part. ... Testing is obviously something that is helpful and it can be beneficial but we try to apply it in a targeted and intelligent manner and we try to test those people that are most at risk, and that's what we'll continue to recommend. But it's not testing that will get us through this surge or the future of our season here."

As of late last week, 93% of players on training camp rosters were at least partially vaccinated. That number could change in the coming days as teams cut their rosters to 53 players apiece. The general philosophy of the NFL/NFLPA training camp protocols -- notably, minimal restrictions for fully vaccinated players and staff members -- will remain intact during the regular season.

Unvaccinated players will continue to face protocols similar to the 2020 season. Other tweaks the sides agreed on this week include:

* Some fully vaccinated employees will be required to wear masks when working inside, including those who work on the medical, strength and conditioning and equipment staffs.

* Players who are not fully vaccinated will not be required to wear masks at outdoor practices but will still need to wear masks indoors.

* Fully vaccinated players can be classified as "high-risk" close contacts, but still won't face the same five-day quarantine that unvaccinated players do in similar situations. Instead, they would be subject to daily testing and mask requirements for five days.