Mets can take a shot! STROMAN STIFLES PHILLY
PHILADELPHIA – The Mets might be the most prepared professional sports team on the planet when it comes to their understanding of the COVID-19 vaccines.
The team’s lead physician, Dr. Kathryn McElheny, set up a 45-minute educational video through the Hospital for Special Services on Tuesday for the Mets to watch and learn about the different types of vaccines. Players and staff members watched the video, complete with a PowerPoint presentation, followed by a live Q&A with a vaccine expert.
“It was extremely informative,” said Jeff McNeil. “Whole team was there. Just getting to talk about it for an hour, a lot of the guys learned some stuff and it’s something that definitely needed to be had.”
The Mets will have the opportunity to receive their first dose of the Pfizer vaccine on Thursday, following their afternoon home opener against the Marlins. The club has an off day on Friday.
Major League Baseball has incentivized teams to get vaccinated. Once a club reaches an 85% threshold, the league will relax protocols – like mask wearing and other regulations. Mets manager Luis Rojas signed up to receive the vaccine on Thursday and said “our goal here is to reach the [85] percentage.”
Additional education on the vaccines was arranged following hesitation from the Mets to receive the shots, team president Sandy Alderson said on Monday. Alderson