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Contact and SARS-CoV-2 Infections Among College Football Athletes
Quick Takes
- As college football planned for fall of 2020, surges in SARS-CoV-2 infections raised concerns about in-game transmission of the virus between players and coaching staff.
- Protocols in fall 2020 in the Southeastern Conference resulted in zero in-game associated transmission of SARS-CoV-2 infection.
Study Questions:
What were the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) contact exposures and transmission among opposing team players during college football games in the Southeastern Conference (SEC) in the fall of 2020?
Methods:
The SEC utilized the KINEXON remote sensing and player tracking system to document interactions and proximity between players. SARS-CoV-2 surveillance by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) testing occurred at least 3 times per week. Positive tests within 48 hours of a game were traced for potential exposures and subsequent infections over 14 days. Opposing player contact events were assessed using the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) close contact definition of ≥15 minutes spent within 6 feet of an infected person.
Results:
A total of 1,190 college football athletes had 109,762 opposing-player interactions between September 26–December 19, 2020. Interactions were short (median length, 6 seconds). Accumulated contact time between two players during a single game was <23 seconds (median length, 10 seconds). Only 13 opponent-pairs had cumulative in-game contact >15 minutes and none of the 13 tested positive for SARS-CoV-2 pregame or postgame. Out of the 1,190 players, 138 (11.6%) tested SARS-CoV-2 positive, 18 (1.5%) of whom tested positive within 48 hours of a game; contact tracing thereafter revealed the 18 players had interacted with opponents for a median of 12 seconds, but no contacted athletes tested positive over the following 14 days.
Conclusions:
During the 2020 SEC football regular season, no instances of in-game SARS-CoV-2 transmission were found.
Perspective:
This study reports outcomes from a combination of close monitoring, frequent testing, and wearable technologies amid the COVID-19 pandemic before vaccines were readily available. The absence of in-game transmission mirrors reports from the National Football League (NFL) and highlights the public health benefit of tight surveillance protocols. Factors in transmission not assessed in this study are travel conditions (e.g., long bus ride), time indoors (e.g., for training), exposure to other on-field personnel (e.g., referees, coaching, and training staff), and other types of sports, particularly indoor sports (e.g., basketball).
Clinical Topics: COVID-19 Hub, Prevention, Sports and Exercise Cardiology
Keywords: Athletes, Contact Tracing, COVID-19, COVID-19 Testing, Disease Transmission, Infectious, Football, Polymerase Chain Reaction, Primary Prevention, SARS-CoV-2, Wearable Electronic Devices
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