Getting vaccinated decreases your risk of having severe COVID disease.
The growing body of evidence suggests strongly that vaccines do NOT appreciably keep you from contracting a Sars-CoV-2 infection, or infecting others, because the viral load in infected persons, which is directly proportional to infectiousness to others, does not significantly decrease (or decrease at all) with vaccination. Yale Study There are new studies coming out literally daily on this front. At least one suggests that unvaccinated contract detectable infections 3:1 vs vaccinated. That's a significant number, if it bears out. I'm not sure it matters for our short term 3-4 mo science experiment.
The SEC has a COVID protocol which mostly mirrors the NCAA protocols. SEC COVID Protocols
This next discussion is taken directly from the SEC protocols, verbatim where possible to avoid confusion.
FACT: Vaccinated players only have to test if they "develop symptoms consistent with COVID-19."
FACT: An SEC member institution's medical staff for athletics, or football, has "unchallengeable autonomous authority to determine medical management and return-to-play for decisions related to student-athletes."
FACT: There is a requirement that each university designate a person to serve as that institution's "COVID-19 Protocol Oversight Officer" but there is no additional requirement for who that person may be or what credentials that person must have in order to fill the role.
CONCLUSION: An SEC member institution's medical staff, and that staff alone, decides when a vaccinated player is symptomatic and must be tested.
FACT: Unvaccinated players must get tested at least weekly, or 3 days before competition if play occurs more than once a week.
FACT: Vaccinated players do not have to get tested weekly nor are they subject to contact tracing requirements.
FACT: All players with a positive COVID test that are asymptomatic must quarantine at least 10 days, but that quarantine is subject to the reduction to seven (7) days if a negative test is obtained.
FACT: An unvaccinated player with a positive COVID test that quarantines is exempt from weekly testing and contact tracing for 90 days.
CONCLUSION: In terms of competitive advantage/disadvantage due to mandating vaccines/making vaccines optional, such an advantage: (a) is nil with regard to symptomatic players; and (b) likely only to affect a given player for one (1) game during the season, unless the player has severe COVID disease (defined for ease of use as "requiring hospitalization"), which is still negligible (2 in 100,000). Most Recent Data - NY Study
FINAL CONCLUSION: We're probably making a mountain out of a molehill in terms of how this affects Auburn's on the field performance. Of course, logistically, AU will have an increased testing burden, but that's not likely something that has factored into the equation and choice made by AU, ADAG & CBH.
The growing body of evidence suggests strongly that vaccines do NOT appreciably keep you from contracting a Sars-CoV-2 infection, or infecting others, because the viral load in infected persons, which is directly proportional to infectiousness to others, does not significantly decrease (or decrease at all) with vaccination. Yale Study There are new studies coming out literally daily on this front. At least one suggests that unvaccinated contract detectable infections 3:1 vs vaccinated. That's a significant number, if it bears out. I'm not sure it matters for our short term 3-4 mo science experiment.
The SEC has a COVID protocol which mostly mirrors the NCAA protocols. SEC COVID Protocols
This next discussion is taken directly from the SEC protocols, verbatim where possible to avoid confusion.
FACT: Vaccinated players only have to test if they "develop symptoms consistent with COVID-19."
FACT: An SEC member institution's medical staff for athletics, or football, has "unchallengeable autonomous authority to determine medical management and return-to-play for decisions related to student-athletes."
FACT: There is a requirement that each university designate a person to serve as that institution's "COVID-19 Protocol Oversight Officer" but there is no additional requirement for who that person may be or what credentials that person must have in order to fill the role.
CONCLUSION: An SEC member institution's medical staff, and that staff alone, decides when a vaccinated player is symptomatic and must be tested.
FACT: Unvaccinated players must get tested at least weekly, or 3 days before competition if play occurs more than once a week.
FACT: Vaccinated players do not have to get tested weekly nor are they subject to contact tracing requirements.
FACT: All players with a positive COVID test that are asymptomatic must quarantine at least 10 days, but that quarantine is subject to the reduction to seven (7) days if a negative test is obtained.
FACT: An unvaccinated player with a positive COVID test that quarantines is exempt from weekly testing and contact tracing for 90 days.
CONCLUSION: In terms of competitive advantage/disadvantage due to mandating vaccines/making vaccines optional, such an advantage: (a) is nil with regard to symptomatic players; and (b) likely only to affect a given player for one (1) game during the season, unless the player has severe COVID disease (defined for ease of use as "requiring hospitalization"), which is still negligible (2 in 100,000). Most Recent Data - NY Study
FINAL CONCLUSION: We're probably making a mountain out of a molehill in terms of how this affects Auburn's on the field performance. Of course, logistically, AU will have an increased testing burden, but that's not likely something that has factored into the equation and choice made by AU, ADAG & CBH.
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