The WNBA season has been rolling along for the past six weeks and to this point there have been no hiccups regarding the league’s COVID-19 health and safety protocols.
That is an impressive feat, particularly given WNBA players fly commercial rather than charter flights to road games, and we learned how the WNBA has pulled that off on Monday morning. The league announced they’ve yet to have a positive test this season because 99 percent of the league’s players are vaccinated and all 12 teams are above the threshold for being considered a fully vaccinated team.
The following was released by the WNBA: pic.twitter.com/ZrDR7IkXk5
— WNBA (@WNBA) June 28, 2021
They are the first professional sports league to reach that level of vaccination across all teams and the results in terms of teams being able to keep players on the court and not have to deal with COVID related absences speak for themselves. It’s not out of the question that someone could still test positive at some point, as Chris Paul’s recent absence for the Suns after a positive test despite being vaccinated earlier in the season was a reminder that it can happen. However, he also was able to clear protocols after a week and return to the court, with no reported symptoms or lingering issues.
For the WNBA, it’s a testament to the commitment of the players in the league to making sure they do what is needed to play the games and take care of themselves, their teammates, and everyone else around the league.