Tag: vaccination rate

Colts vaccination numbers have ‘leveled off a little bit’

Colts HC Frank Reich said the team’s vaccination rate has ‘leveled off a little bit’

As one of the teams with the lowest vaccination rates in the league, it seems the Indianapolis Colts have hit a bit of a road bump when it comes to increasing that number before the season gets here.

It was reported a few weeks ago that the Colts were above the 75% threshold. That was encouraging, but head coach Frank Reich told the media Sunday that those numbers have leveled off a bit as the preseason finale approaches.

“I’m not sure of the exact percentage. It’s gotten better. I think it’s leveled off a little bit, but we’ll continue to try to encourage and educate our players and the organization on what we believe is the right thing,” Reich told the media. “I think the last number I had heard was 75-ish percent but I don’t know the exact percentage number.”

The majority of teams are over the 90% mark, which could prove to be an advantage over the teams that have lower rates when it comes to vaccinations.

The league has not mandated getting the vaccine, which means it’s within the players’ right to not receive the vaccine. The Colts have said they will encourage but not mandate getting the vaccine.

It will be interesting to see if this rate will change during the season but that may not be the case if the Colts have hit a wall when it comes to getting their players vaccinated.

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Clemson in good shape with vaccinations

Clemson is in good shape entering fall camp in terms of vaccination percentage. This past week the NCAA released protocols for teams that differentiated testing requirements for student-athletes based on vaccinsation status. The Clemson Insider also …

Clemson is in good shape entering fall camp in terms of vaccination percentage.

This past week the NCAA released protocols for teams that differentiated testing requirements for student-athletes based on vaccinsation status.

The Clemson Insider also learned the ACC will release new COVID-19 guidelines in the next week that include testing incentives for teams who reach the 85-percent vaccination threshold.

Head coach Dabo Swinney reported that the Tigers are nearing the 85-percent mark and will be there in the next week-plus.

“We are right there at that 85-percent, I want to say we are at 83 or 84-percent we still have a couple of guys who are planning to get vaccinated this weekend,” Swinney said before the start of fall camp. “We are in a really good spot and I’m proud of our guys and our team for how they’ve responded.”

Swinney also stressed the importance of mitigation strategies that differ based on how many players are vaccinated in each position group.

“Absolutely we have protocols in place, I don’t want to call anybody out but if you have a whole position group and one guy that’s not vaccinated no big deal,” Swinney said. “But if you have one position group with 12 and eight of them are vaccinated you have to make sure that you can mitigate that properly.”

He credited his players for their decision making that will help the Tigers stay healthy as they approach the start of 2021 season.

“We are in a good spot and guys have done a really good job and I’m excited to get going.”

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Saints among NFL leaders in player vaccination rates

The MMQB’s Albert Breer reports the New Orleans Saints and Miami Dolphins were the first NFL teams to vaccinate a majority of their players.

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There will be competitive advantages for NFL teams that vaccinate a majority of their rosters against COVID-19 this season, and the New Orleans Saints are on the forefront of achieving that. The MMQB’s Albert Breer reported last week that the Saints and Miami Dolphins were the first two teams to cross the 85% threshold for player vaccination, outpacing many of their peers.

And their aggressive approach to the vaccine extends beyond the locker room; Sean Payton said earlier this month that all of New Orleans’ personnel within Tiers 1 and 2 (those who work either directly with or in close proximity to the players, like coaches and equipment staff) had reached 100% vaccination status.

But how does it help the Saints to get out in front of this? It puts them on track for a relatively normal training camp: players can work out in the weight room, study tape together in the film room, and share tables in the cafeteria. For all intents and purposes, it’s back to business as usual for them. While other teams around the league will still be working under the NFL’s COVID-19 restrictions and managing unvaccinated players, the Saints will be clicking right along and bypassing those hurdles.

And as far as qualify of life privileges go, they won’t be tested daily, won’t have to wear masks around the practice facility, and won’t have to practice physical distancing from their teammates. They can accept sponsorships and spend time with vaccinated friends and family away from the team. There are plenty of incentives beyond the competitive advantage.

It’s great to see the Saints aggressively pursuing those vaccination goals after their negligence last season brought multiple fines down on Payton and the organization, to say nothing of Alvin Kamara’s late-season absence and the loss of a future draft pick. New Orleans is back on track following those missteps, and it’s a good sign for what’s ahead of them in 2021.

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