Weekend Recap: NFL Solves Their Covid Crisis
Plus, masks on planes forever and vax efficacy tumbling
Over the weekend the NFL moved three games and was smack in the middle of a vaccinated-player covid crisis. Because of strict testing and quarantine rules, asymptomatic players were forced to sit out — sometimes causing games to be postponed.
Luckily the NFL has moved to quickly solve this crisis, and the answer is what many of us have been advocating since April 2020 when it was clear the virus was far too widespread to contain — Stop testing those who aren’t sick.
Under the new policy, fully vaccinated, asymptomatic players and staff members are no longer subject to weekly testing. The league will instead turn to targeted testing of symptomatic individuals.
Interestingly enough, they’re ALSO acknowledging that PCR tests run at 35 cycles or greater are worthless.
Vaccinated players who test positive for COVID-19 can now return to the field if:
They have two PCR (polymerase chain reaction) tests that are either negative or have a CT (cycle threshold) of 35 or greater.
One PCR test that is either negative or has a CT value of 35 or greater, and negative Mesa test taken without 24 hours of the PCR test.
File this under “stuff we knew in July 2020.” (Jump to 4:29)
Speaking of The Science Himself, Dr. Anthony Fauci, he is finally admitting the virus will be with us forever, so obviously his strategy is masking on planes forever.
And lastly, the monthly covid report from Snohomish County, WA dropped on Friday. As expected, vaccine efficacy continues to tumble and is now down to 57% to prevent hospitalization - roughly equal to that of cases. I guess that explains why Elizabeth Warren and Cory Booker both tested positive this weekend…….
I don't know if there is hard data, but my impression is that it's more likely a vaccinated person transmits the virus while asymptomatic than an unvaccinated person. Many of these policies seem to be in direct opposition to a goal of limiting transmission. I'm all for not testing asymptomatic people, but I don't see any rationale for excluding the unvaccinated from this policy.
They should simply be called post-vaccine cases. "Breakthroughs" implies that they are rare, or that the vaccines are a wall against the virus. They're more like a speed bump.