The recent spike of COVID-19 cases in the US significantly affected the National Basketball Association. There are reports that multiple NBA players testing positive again for the coronavirus. Also, the CDC expects some coronavirus reinfections.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention defines reinfection as a person getting the infection, recovering, and later becoming infected again. Studies are ongoing on the immunity period after recovery.
Uncertain Number of Multiple NBA Players Testing Positive
The NBA announced more than 100 players tested positive since summer. Also, experts believe that the actual number is significantly higher. Most NBA betting sites note that several teams have more than ten players who have tested positive.
Due to the less available testing, there were higher false positives rates in the early stages of the pandemic. According to basketball betting sources, the league doesn’t know the actual number of infections.
Considerations on Protocol Changes
Some players who tested positive for the virus were asymptomatic. Thus, they remained in contact with other players. Also, some players have been tested for antibody levels to determine their immunity level. However, there is no current leaguewide procedure to test those levels regularly.
The teams and league doctors evaluate every positive test and player exposure on a case-to-case basis. The nature of the virus is still uncertain, as per the league officials. Some players with positive results in the last three months are handled differently from those tested positive last summer.
The National Basketball Association, league office, teams, and agents are discussing changes to quarantine protocols to limit the spread. At present, an infected player will result to three canceled games. Thus, it affects sports betting odds.
The league also placed previously infected players into a weeklong quarantine. Also, players need to undergo quarantine when exposed to an infected person. Reinfection is a concern for NBA teams and players.
