COVID-19 was a known concern before Utah Jazz big man Rudy Gobert tested a preliminary positive for the illness. But everything changed with Gobert’s diagnosis, and Rita Wilson and Tom Hanks announcing they both tested positive for COVID-19 while in Australia.
Since Gobert’s test, Jazz teammate Donovan Mitchell, Detroit Pistons forward Christian Wood and four Nets players, including Kevin Durant, have tested positive for the coronavirus, the virus that causes the illness COVID-19. Other celebrities have announced they’ve tested positive for COVID-19, and there have been reports of professional baseball players testing positive, too.
Public figures being diagnosed with COVID-19 alters the perception of the illness, but the number of known names to receive the test has frustrated some — particularly when individuals who haven’t displayed symptoms are receiving hard-to-get tests.
This was the problem New York City mayor Bill de Blasio identified when he found out about the Nets receiving tests:
We wish them a speedy recovery. But, with all due respect, an entire NBA team should NOT get tested for COVID-19 while there are critically ill patients waiting to be tested.
Tests should not be for the wealthy, but for the sick.
According to ESPN‘s Adrian Wojnarowski, the Nets “paid out of pocket to a private company to conduct tests.”