The NHL has released a statement reporting that 15 players tested positive for COVID-19 after reporting to training camp. More than 1,450 total tests were administered to the 250+ players in camp. These tests have all been administered following the start of Phase 2 of the return to play initiative, which began on June 8.
What’s more, 11 additional players have tested positive for coronavirus outside of NHL training camps. All players who tested positive have been quarantined.
It’s hard to know exactly what to make of these test results. It’s not entirely clear right now how many of these players were asymptomatic at the time, nor is it clear if there was any additional spread to staff or families. Assuming the best, a 6% rate of infection wouldn’t threaten the season’s reboot – especially if some portion of these positive tests prove to be asymptomatic. Positive tests are an inevitability, and part of returning to play is recognizing as much.
So .01% of tests were positive, right?
@ski44 – The actual percentage (rounded) is slightly less than 1.03% (they tell us more than 1450, so it is less than 1.03%), still a nicely small number (for the time being).
And, some are keying in on 15 players out of 250+, which works out to just under 6%. So, as long as players don’t require hospitalization (let’s hope that never happens), it’ll be full steam ahead.
I love hockey, but this is the universe screaming at the NHL that trying to do these playoffs is just too dangerous. Same with having an NBA playoffs, soccer and an MLB season. Just pause it all until next year. The safest sports right now are auto racing, tennis and golf (and even the latter two are having COVID issues).
“Its too dangerous”. Has any player or a family member died (as a direct result of said player having COVID) I’ll wait.
Drunk driving accidents are incredibly dangerous….bet you drive somewhere this week
why is death your measuring stick?
also, and maybe this hasn’t been pointed out but when 25+ athletes tend to get together and one gets a virus, it tends to spread. it’s why you don’t often hear only one guy on a team caught the flu, which is much less contagious than this virus.
@Afk711 – Per John Davidson’s appearance on Hockey Central (June 19th) (link to tunein.com), skip to about the 6m35s mark (give or take). He’s not talking about players or their families, but people he knew. Players and their families are not COVID-proof.
“Why is death your measuring stick”.. Uhhh what else is it going to be dude? There is zero proof of any long term health problems as a result of getting covid.
That is a total fabrication. Many older people who got sick with Covid are only 50 to 75 % better, three months later. Many have lost their sense of smell and taste forever. Read a little bit before you post ignorant comments.
@Afk711 – Hate to continue to be the bearer of bad news here, but @dalrob is correct, and here is just one of many links backing the long-term damage idea:
link to sciencenews.org
Remember, this is not a flu-like deal, but more along the lines of SARS.
The only fabrication is acting like thats not in extreme circumstances. No its not “most people”. If it was the case, society would not be starting up for years. The permante lung damage idea has already been disproven. The NBA and NHL will be played in a bubble anyway. No risky person will be approved to be entering so even if your fear mongor “lost taste” idea was real, it wouldn’t matter since at risk seniors wont be interacting with hockey players… The world has to go on and learn to live with this. Its not going away for years.
disproven how and by who?
Scans of recovered covid peoples lungs and the extremely high amount of survivors not experiencing anything once recovered.
I’m going to take a page out of the anti-vaxer playbook here
“do you have proof it doesn’t cause damage?”
no one is saying life will return to its previous normal but to ignore the CURRENT numbers and CURRENT news of players testing positive, all to have a relatively insignificant hockey or basketball playoff in August+ is insane.
We have seen younger people die or have complications. have we seen a pro athlete yet? no but it feels like the argument is it hasn’t happened yet so love forward… until it does.
that philosophy is what has gotten the us in the predicament it is in now. a lack of understanding and caring about others.
Well, now that we’re posting links, I will guide you to Alex Berenson’s twitter page @AlexBerenson. He’s done yeoman’s work refuting the hysteria over this virus.
This is ridiculous… just don’t have any team sports until 2021.
not surprising. there was bound to be some positives with all the tests. those guys can go heal up and then things can be good to go.
Soccer is happening in Europe with no issue.
yes and the cases in the us keep rising. now if they tried to play soccer 3 months ago in Europe the situations would be similar but they didn’t.
All 4 sports need to be cancelled
Don’t worry. None of them will get off the ground and golf will shut it down as well. Too many idiot players doing stupid things on their own time.