Even pro athletes must take precautions against COVID-19

Professional sporting events have never been entirely about the game.

Team owners, player sponsorships, media contracts, ticket sales and merchandising licenses are the playgrounds of big business.

But the tiniest of offensive players, the novel coronavirus, has upended the sporting world. It has become a matter of great debate whether your grandmother or your favourite sports star should have priority for a vaccine.

Take NHL hockey as an example. A delayed season has started. Only a handful of arenas are allowing limited spectators to attend the games. The league is working hard to keep players safe from COVID-19, but games have been delayed and postponed due to positive tests among players, coaches and staff. As one wise sage remarked, “It’s hard to escape the wind”.

Health officials urge all of us to take precautions against the spread of infection. But how can hockey players “social distance” while driving an opponent into the boards?

Teams will take every possible precaution. But this is easier said than done when travelling from game to game. The NHL reports players are being tested daily. But testing is only one step to prevent the spread of the virus.

As I write this article, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Kansas City Chiefs are preparing to take the field in Tampa, Fla. Exhausted health officials are losing more sleep worried that huge sporting events like these will cause another winter surge, once again stretching the healthcare system to the breaking point.

One can hardly blame starved restaurant owners from doing what they can to sell a few meals. But even outdoor seating was a problem for Los Angeles in hosting the NBA finals in October. The L.A. Times reports, “More than 9,000 COVID-19 deaths have been reported in L.A. County since Nov. 1, more than half of the county’s cumulative COVID-19 death toll of 16,127.”

It has been proven that professional athletes will play on amid this pandemic.

But what of Olympic athletes? Woe be Tokyo and the still questionable Olympic Games. According to a recent poll, nearly 80 per cent of Japanese think the Games should be cancelled or postponed again.

For many athletes, there is only one chance to compete. So, most are understandably keen to partake.

The International Olympic Committee is in a pickle since its revenue is largely dependent on broadcast contracts. The IOC insists the Games are a go. Suggestions that athletes be permitted to jump national vaccine queues have been met with condemnation.

The question remains: should you and your children be playing contact team sports or even games with social distancing?

The answer is a resounding yes, but with a caveat. Just like porcupines making love, engage in these activities very carefully.

And why is there not more commonsense advice from public health experts about the fortification of our natural immune systems as a protective measure against the virus? Athletes may be the healthiest among us, but even they need robust immune systems.

How?

Get ample sleep – without it, you will be weakened.

Eat a good diet and drink plenty of water, not sugary drinks.

Take a daily dose of immune-boosting vitamins C and D – in the high doses required for a good fight with a viral opponent, not the small amounts for general health.

Make sure you are getting enough magnesium and zinc. Then wear a mask. Keep a distance.

And enjoy the exercise.

The weekly column by W. Gifford-Jones, MD has been published for 45 years. The same no-nonsense tradition now continues in a fatherdaughter collaboration as his daughter, Diana Gifford-Jones, joins him to co-write Common Sense Health. Sign-up at www. docgiff.com to receive a weekly e-newsletter. For comments, contact-us@docgiff.com.