Dabo Swinney said midway through fall camp that his team’s COVID-19 vaccination rate had reached the 85% threshold. Just days before the Tigers’ marquee opener against Georgia on Saturday, Clemson’s coach provided another update on where the Tigers’ vaccination numbers stand.
“We’ve got very few guys on our team who have not been vaccinated. Very few,” Swinney said. “And our staff is vaccinated. So that gives you a whole lot more of a comfort level.”
Swinney would feel the most comfortable if his team was fully vaccinated, though he has reiterated the choice is ultimately up to each individual player. But reaching the 85% threshold was most important in trying to mitigate the effect on the Tigers’ roster and games throughout the season.
The Atlantic Coast Conference recently updated its protocols within its COVID-19 Medical Advisory Group Report for a handful of sports, including football. Among them are testing protocols for teams that have reached the 85% vaccination rate.
Unvaccinated individuals on teams that have reached that number will only be required to be tested once a week while anyone who’s unvaccinated on teams that haven’t met that threshold will have to be tested three times per week. Vaccinated individuals won’t be subjected to testing unless the team has a “cluster” (at least three student-athletes or 5% of athletes, whichever is greater) of athletes infected concurrently.
Teams at the 85% threshold with no active cases will also be allowed to ease up on social distancing and masking requirements during team activities.
As of Tuesday, Swinney said every player for Clemson other than those who’ve sustained season-ending injuries are available for Saturday’s showdown with the Bulldogs. Asked specifically about the status of cornerback Fred Davis, who’s facing internal discipline after being charged with reckless driving in July, Swinney said he’ll keep things pretty generic as to players’ availabilities leading up to each game regardless of whether certain players are dealing with an injury, a possible suspension or a case of COVID-19 and/or contact tracing.
“Really the same as last year,” Swinney said. “Regardless of what the situation is, we’re just going to say who’s available and who’s not available and keeping moving on.”
Most pertinent to Clemson’s quest for a seventh straight ACC championship, the league also released a policy for rescheduling games this fall, which would only happen under special circumstances. If a team can’t play because of a lack of available players due to COVID-19, that team will be required to forfeit and take a loss for that game. Should both teams scheduled to play each other have the same issue, both will have to forfeit and receive a loss.
Like many teams a season ago, Clemson had its share of COVID-19 issues, including the absence of quarterback Trevor Lawrence for two games. But Swinney said he’s hopeful that the majority of his team being vaccinated will help decrease the severity of symptoms for anyone who might still become infected and keep the Tigers from losing a chunk of their roster to contact tracing from one week to the next.
“It’s not that you can’t get it, but it’s like knowing it’s freezing outside and you go out there and you’re dressed properly,” Swinney said of vaccinated individuals. “You’ve got your toboggan on and you’ve got a heavy jacket and some thermals. You can still get cold, but you’re at least doing everything you can to protect yourself. So I feel a lot better about that as far as the odds of getting it being vaccinated.
“I’m thankful that we have (the vaccine) as an option. We didn’t have that last year. So hopefully we can mitigate more throughout the season and continue to have guys available and ready to play.”
Football season has finally arrived. Time to represent your Tigers and show your stripes!
