An article published by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Monday states that the NFL found during the season that the virus that causes COVID-19 was transmitted in less than 15 minutes of cumulative contact between individuals – the time frame which the CDC initially used. in his definition of close contact. As a result, the NFL has redefined making close contact with high-risk – factors such as masking and ventilation – findings that the CDC and the NFL hope will apply broadly to the public to limit the spread of the virus. , especially in schools, long care facilities and essential high-density workplaces, such as manufacturing centers.
The paper, co-authored by the CDC and the NFL and the NFL Players Association’s medical experts and epidemiologists, relied on the information generated from the NFL’s daily seasonal testing and contact tracing program. The NFL is a unique case because of the vast resources it has at their disposal to test players, coaches and staff every day, to deploy contact detectives quickly when there are positive cases, and to use genomic sequencing to determine how the virus within teams.
But from the start of the season, the NFL has said it wants to share what it has learned with public health agencies in the hope that what it has learned can help others navigate the pandemic. What was gained from the season and how the protocols evolved – especially the creation of an intensive protocol that stopped personal meetings – suggests recommendations that may be helpful in other settings.
“It is important to realize that the most influential intervention was not to test or detect devices,” said Dr. Allen Sills, NFL medical chief, said. “The most influential interventions were the universal use of face masks, the holding of meetings outside and the reduction of personal meetings, the closing of the dining rooms – all of which have a wide applicability outside of football.”
Also important was the quality of the masks used, and airflow and ventilation. This is why personal meetings were eventually banned in the NFL, even though people could be 6 feet in a room, and why all meals had to be grabbed at team facilities – eating together was a vulnerability area.
And the article showed how important it is to isolate and quarantine people who are considered high risk close contact with an infected person. The mid-season adaptation in the NFL protocol is designed to limit the spread of the virus. To date, 37 individuals isolated after taking a high risk later tested positive.
The intensive protocol – which includes virtual meetings, wearing a mask at all times, including during training, and eliminating group meals – was introduced in early October for any team that had a positive case. The league ordered in mid-November that all teams should work according to the intensive protocol. According to the newspaper, in 71% of the cases no high-risk contacts were identified where the club was intensive. The newspaper called it “an effective mitigation measure”.
Sills said during a conference that the NFL found no evidence of virus transmission during games – daily testing meant that many infected players were not on the field at all, and that players spent very little time in close contact – no outbreaks or clusters detected after games allowed by fans.