MIAMI – The National Basketball Association announced its players, coaches and referees on Sunday to receive booster doses against the coronavirus, with special urgency for those who received a single dose of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine.
The league and the National Basketball Association – which work together on guidelines from the league’s public health and infectious diseases experts – said those who received the Johnson & Johnson shots more than two months ago should receive a booster dose . A supportive recommendation was also made to those who received the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines at least six months ago.
The league’s recommendations, received from the Associated Press, urged those who originally received the Johnson & Johnson vaccine to look for a Pfizer or Moderna booster. The association said those who received Pfizer or Moderna may receive every booster available.
Data used in league decisions showed that antibody levels decreased in Pfizer and Moderna recipients after six months and after two months in Johnson & Johnson recipients.
In some cases, those who have been vaccinated but are not given a booster dose will be retested for game day starting December 1, the National Basketball Association said. The December 1st date depends on when a person was originally vaccinated and what type of vaccine they received.
Some teams have already planned to give players booster shots when they are available. A small number of previously vaccinated NBA players have tested positive for COVID-19 this season and are adhering to the league’s health and safety protocols.
Among those marginalized lately: Philadelphia Tobias Harris76ers trainer Doc Rivers said he developed symptoms.
“It works well, but frankly not very well,” Rivers said last week. “It definitely shocked him.” “A lot of people have seen this and they’re grumpy, like, ‘What the hell, I’m fine.’ Tobias doesn’t belong in this category now, I can tell you that. “
It is believed that around 97% of NBA players were vaccinated at the start of the season last month. In the United States, nearly 60% of the population – more than 193 million people – are fully vaccinated. More than 21 million have received booster doses, and that number is increasing every day.
