The National Basketball Association has been having discussions with teams, players and agents to craft a policy that will encourage those involved in the league to get inoculated against the SARS-CoV-2 virus that causes COVID-19, ESPN reported citing unidentified sources.
With training camps having been open since Dec. 1, pre-season games set to begin Friday, and the abbreviated 72-game regular season scheduled to start Dec. 22, the NBA could become the first American sports league to enact a COVID-19 vaccine policy.
Several vaccines are near receiving emergency approval by the Food and Drug Administrations and interviews with league executives, team physicians, and agents have learned the NBA is concentrating on devising an “education” program to encourage use among players and a policy for how quickly the league will seek injections, ESPN said.
Some public health officials have suggested that professional athletes receive priority for any vaccine to boost confidence and willingness among the general population, The Wall Street Journal reported Sunday.
One agent, who was not identified, suggested most players would be willing to get the vaccination while another wasn’t as sure, especially among those who already have been infected and now supposedly have some sort of antibody immunity.
"We are going to need someone they trust, who is not involved with the league, that can lay it out for the skeptical guys," according one anonymous agent who spoke to ESPN.
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