The NFL will require coaches and other personnel to receive the booster dose of the COVID-19 vaccine by December 27.
In a memo sent to teams Monday, and obtained by The Associated Press, the league said: Given the prevailing rise of the virus in communities, our experts recommend that we follow the recommendations of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in United States ”(CDC).
The league’s requirements extend to individuals in Groups 1 and 2 who had received the vaccine. Although the players are in the first group, along with coaches and staff members, the mandate does not apply to players due to ongoing discussions with the NFL players association.
The CDC recommends that an individual who received a second dose of the COVID-19 vaccine developed by Pfizer or Moderna should receive a booster dose. A person who received the single dose of Johnson & Johnson more than two months ago should also receive a booster.
These are the exceptions to the mandate:
– An individual who is not eligible for the booster dose as defined by the CDC.
– An individual who has tested positive for COVID-19 and is found within the 90-day period following according to league protocols.
– An individual who has received monoclonal antibodies in a period of 90 days.
– An individual whose antibody levels or whose antibody test administered by the BioReference laboratory at the team’s facilities is 2,500 or more.
The league indicated that anyone who is not eligible for the booster at this time will have to get it within 14 days after they are eligible.
The teams were asked to give the booster doses to all eligible staff as soon as possible, and to consider providing the booster to the players’ families and staff.
On Monday, 36 players entered the COVID-19 list, the most so far this season.
Seattle Seahawks coach Pete Carroll touched on the possibility that players have been confused with the virus.
“Is that. That’s the problem around the world, ”Carroll said. “People get exhausted. We can not. We cannot let it happen. Although they are all human and you get tired of reminders it is all about being careful. Diligence comes from constant reminders and the discipline it takes to stay consistent. “
Last month, the NFL forced players and staff to wear face masks at team facilities for a week regardless of their vaccination status and ordered two tests for COVID-19 following Thanksgiving celebrations. thanks.
They later updated the league’s protocols after the increase in COVID-19 cases in the country.
The league has been running genetic sequence testing on positive cases to determine the exact variant of the virus. NFL Medical Director Allen Sills said in November that these tests had shown that no cases were related on a team in which there were eight positive cases in two weeks.
“That means the protocols work and they do what they should do, which is to prevent the virus from spreading uncontrollably on computers,” Sills said.
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This release corrects that players are not subject to the new NFL rule. There are ongoing discussions with the players association.
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