2 min read • December 17, 2021
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This week saw over 100 NFL players added to the COVID reserve list, but a rule change will allow vaccinated players to return to play quicker.
Dr. David Chao, ProFootballDoc, said he doesn’t expect many more players to test positive before games this weekend. He noted that a majority of the positive tests after Monday came from the six teams that were required to test daily.
Of the players placed on the COVID reserve list this week, 25 were from the Rams, 21 from Washington, 20 from the Browns, 12 from the Bears, 8 from the Texans and 6 each from the Dolphins and Vikings. Five of those seven teams were subject to daily testing.
“Given there is no daily testing other than those six teams and close contacts on other teams, I expect the ever increasing number of positives to subside,” Chao said.
An NFL rule change put in place Thursday will make it easier for vaccinated and asymptomatic players to return to play,
Under the new rules, vaccinated players can return to play if two PCR tests are either negative or produce a CT value of 35 or greater. Or one PCR test that is negative or produces a CT value of 35 or greater, plus a negative Mesa rapid test taken within 24 hours.
“The rule changes now take into consideration cycle threshold, which is not technically viral load, but is the amount of times that PCR tests need to be amplified to detect the virus,” Chao said. “Basically, if the test needs to be amplified within 35 times to be positive, it is now considered a negative."
NFL chief medical officer Dr. Allen Sills told ESPN that NFL test analysis has shown that players with CT values at the level of 35 or higher do not transmit COVID-19 and thus are not considered contagious.
Expect to see a good amount of players return from the COVID reserve list to play this weekend, Chao said.
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