NFL, union agree to extend daily coronavirus testing

NFL extended daily coronavirus testing for players and staff until furr tice even though positive test rate from first two weeks of camp has been less than 1 percent.

Under original agreement between league and NFL Players Association, players and staff needed three negative tests in a four-day period before y could report to facility and n daily testing for next two weeks.

If positive rate from that first stretch of daily testing was below 5 percent, plan h been to shift to testing every or day.

But league and union decided Wednesday to extend that period as y use more rapid onsite testing and as contact increases when pded practices start around league next week.

“I think bottom line is we’re continuing to learn a great deal from our testing results,” said Dr. Allen Sills, league’s chief medical officer. “I think that given protocol changes that we recently me, as well as use of this ditional point of care techlogy and recognition that we’re about to go into more of team-based activity during training camp, that we and Players Association toger felt it was prudent to extend daily testing.”

Sills reported that re were 53 new positives out of 2,840 tests of players upon arrival, which works out to 1.9%. rate of new positives for all staff upon arrival was at 1.7%

Since n, league has conducted 109,075 tests through Tuesday with 0.46% of all tests coming up as positive and 0.81% of players testing positive.

“I think we were pleasantly surprised at how few positive tests we h,” Sills said of initial results. “I think since that time, that positivity rate that I gave you reflects fact that our teams have done, and our players, staff and coaches have done, a terrific job of staying uninfected.”

Sills said some of those positives tests could be false positives or reflect people who previously h coronavirus and still test positive for it.

While some players have been on reserve/COVID-19 list for more than two weeks, Sills said he has reports of anyone having any player having serious complications.

Sills said league is monitoring any heart problems for players who test positive. re have been reports of several college football players contracting myocarditis, inflammation of heart muscle, after getting coronavirus. protocols NFL has with union alrey require heart tests for players who have tested positive before y are allowed to return.

“I think y’re important and ongoing conversations when players have tested positive about what those screening tests mean and what’s best way to rule out any of those complications,” Sills said.

“So it is something we’ll continue to monitor. I think one of opportunities that we will have will be to contribute our data as we’ve done all se evaluations and look at that group as a whole and see what we’ve learned and what outcomes have showed us, because that’s obviously an important issue right w for all of sports medicine world.”

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