Unsafe to Resume NBA Without Covid-19 Vaccine, Say Doctors

It looks increasingly unlikely that the NBA season will resume in any way, shape or form amid the coronavirus pandemic.

NBA Commissioner Adam Silver admitted as much on Monday when he said the league won’t be able to decide until at least May.

Going straight to the playoffs, a play-in tournament, and playing the remaining games behind closed doors have all been considered. The NBA has even contemplated moving personnel to a secure, quarantined facility to play out the rest of the season. 

However, none of these scenarios guarantee safety until an effective vaccine is developed, according to an infectious disease specialist. 

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Dr. Richard Harris told the Houston Chronicle that even once the worst is over, Covid-19 isn’t going anywhere for a long time.

“Before we get vaccinations, I’m not sure any of this is perfectly safe. The problem is there will be so many people that are going to pop up from time to time with COVID, there’s going to be little outbreaks here, little outbreaks there,” he said.

“All it takes is a couple people, and this can start up all over again, maybe not as severe as it is now. I just can’t see how you can do this safely. You’d be playing Russian roulette with this if you think you can do this absolutely safely.”

David Lakey, chief medical officer at the University of Texas, says that if sport were to resume again, it would need testing resources. The league could not divert these resources from the health system, which needs them more.

Read: Adam Silver None The Wiser As To When League Will Return

“You would need to have a stringent testing protocol from the very beginning. You would need enough lead time to do initial tests and … retest through the incubation period.

“With the limited testing right now, who do you divert those tests from? I would hope there would be additional capacity rather than diverting capacity from the health care sector. You would need to make sure not only the players are protected but … folks providing services. You could wall them off and get through that period if you have a safe way to feed them and care for them.”