The NBA and NBPA are discussing modified COVID-19 protocols amid a recent surge in positive tests, according to multiple reports.
Both sides have agreed to increase COVID-19 testing among players, both vaccinated and unvaccinated, according to The Athletic‘s Shams Charania. The testing will occur on practice and game days.
The league and players’ association had previously agreed to start testing vaccinated players who had not received their booster shots, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, but a more expansive approach is now being considered as the league attempts to navigate the spike in cases league-wide.
Several NBA players have entered the health and safety protocols lately, from Giannis Antetokounmpo and James Harden to Toronto Raptors forward Precious Achiuwa and Canadian RJ Barrett.
Earlier on Wednesday, Charania also reported the NBA’s first known player case of the Omicron variant was discovered in a recent positive COVID-19 test.
The league has a 97 per cent vaccination rate among players, with 60 per cent of players having their booster shot.
Research on the Omicron variant, which was first identified in November in Botswana and South Africa, is still developing. However, since its initial discovery, the data so far show it is highly transmissible and less susceptible to vaccines than other variants of the coronavirus.
By the end of November, the World Health Organization had labelled Omicron as a “variant of concern.” Since then, according to the W.H.O., it has been identified on every continent except Antarctica.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the national public health agency of the United States, the new variant is now three per cent of cases in America.
Editor’s Note: The COVID-19 situation, in the NHL and around the world, is constantly evolving. Readers in Canada can consult the country’s public health website for the latest.
Report: NBA, NBPA discussing modified COVID-19 protocols
Source: Pinas Ko Mahal
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