Iron Bru › Forums › Blast Furnace › Unvaccinated players, should we sign them? › Reply To: Unvaccinated players, should we sign them?
I don’t know. PCR tests are clearly not accurate.
PCR tests are pretty accurate, as are LFTs.
The problems are a) that the new Omicron variant is much more virulent compared to previous strains. b) that a person can be carrying the virus for several days before testing positive, and c) the symptoms are not as easy to recognise as before, being similar to the common cold (but definitely not flu).
My personal experiences over the past ten days leads me to believe that if you are not testing then you could carry the Omicron variant without even knowing. But footballers ARE being tested, so obviously the virus is being picked up, and to fulfil medical recommendations they are having to self isolate, some with no ill effects whatsoever, others who will be poorly for a few days.
Vaccinations WILL reduce the risks of both contracting Covid and passing it on to others. So being vaccinated should be seen as a benefit. I would have thought that most professional sportsmen and sportswomen would have taken up the vaccines, but they are of the age where scaremongering about the possible side effects may put them off.
What I have noticed are some of the statements put out by clubs which go along the lines of … “due to positive Covid tests and injuries”.
Are some sides using it as a convenient stalling mechanism to carry themselves through into the transfer window?
There may come a time when any ambitious players are stopped from playing until they are fully vaccinated. Not just to protect themselves, but also those they come into contact with.