One of the NBA’s biggest advantages in its plan to continue playing amid the coronavirus pandemic? Ironically, the fact that at least 124 players – and almost certainly many more – have already contracted the virus. The odds of reinfection are exceedingly low.
But, just as vaccinated people can still get COVID-19, people can get COVID-19 multiple times.
Brian Windhorst and Zach Lowe of ESPN:
I have questions:
- Were these players confirmed to have antibodies? Sometimes, tests – especially early on – produce false positives.
- How far apart were these positive tests? Long-lasting cases of coronavirus have been mistaken for two discrete cases.
The NBA doesn’t want separate sets of rules depending on whether players already contracted coronavirus. That could incentivize players to get the virus just so they can live more freely. But missing the playoffs also allows players to live more freely, and nobody wants players on lottery teams restricted during their early-starting offseasons. I’d prefer allowing players who’ve already contracted coronavirus to receive greater freedoms.
The league shouldn’t let extreme outliers dictate its protocols. Science should guide decisions.
But, as this situation shows, there still ought to be some protocols for players who’ve already recovered from coronavirus. Reinfection can happen.
Either way, hopefully these players recover quickly.