A University of Wisconsin study suggests high school athletes are not at a higher risk of contracting COVID-19
From the Milwaukee Journal Sentinal: https://www.jsonline.com/story/sports/high-schools/2020/10/22/uw-study-suggests-prep-athletes-arent-higher-risk-covid-19/3735506001/
When sports resumed at high schools around the state in August and September, there was concern that the participating students would be at a higher risk for contracting COVID-19.
A University of Wisconsin study released Thursday suggests participation in high school sports does not increase the risk of acquiring the disease.
Additionally the study found in a statewide sample of approximately 30,000 student-athletes a lower rate of COVID-19 contraction than what has been reported by the Wisconsin Department of Health Services for 14- to 17-year-olds overall.
“Nonetheless, we acknowledge that COVID-19 is a dangerous disease that continues to spread throughout the country,” the study’s authors wrote. “It remains unclear, however, whether sport participation with risk mitigation procedures in place increases the risk of children contracting COVID-19 and potentially passing the virus on to other individuals.”
The UW and Wisconsin Interscholastic Athletic Association collaborated on the project, distributing a survey to every high school in the state. The survey asked each school about the resumption of sports, COVID-19 cases and risk-reduction procedures.
They received responses from 207 schools that included more than 30,000 athletes who had taken part in 16,000 practices and 4,000 games in September.
“The information presented here is intended to contribute to ongoing discussions and add to the growing body of evidence regarding the risk of COVID-19 within youth sports,” the survey’s authors wrote.
Among the study's findings:
- * Out of 30,000 athletes, 271 COVID-19 cases were reported. Those attributed to sports contact were 0.5%. The greatest percentage came from household contact (55%) and community contact (40.7%). About 30% couldn’t determine how they were transmitted the disease.
- * The study found no difference in the rate of contraction between athletes attending schools with virtual instruction vs. in-person instruction.
- * The sports deemed low risk by the WIAA this summer – cross country, girls golf, girls tennis and girls swimming diving – had lower infection rates than those categorized as high-risk sports. The highest rate of incidence reported in the study was among football players.
Thursday all but four counties in the state reported a very high level of COVID-19. The state also reported 3,413 new cases with a seven-day average of 3,395. One month ago, the seven-day average was 1,838.
The UW study, while suggesting that high school students don’t face an increased risk of getting COVID-19 by playing sports, also said more research is needed.
“While we hope that this information will help contribute to the ongoing discussions about the relative risks and benefits of youth sport participation, we should recognize that COVID-19 risk will vary in different areas of the country and across age groups,” the study read. “Therefore, efforts to assess COVID-19 risk among youth athletes should be expanded and replicated in other populations in order to provide a more complete picture of the risk of COVID-19 transmission during sport participation.”
Contact Mark Stewart at Mark.Stewart@jrn.com. Follow him on Twitter at @MarkStewartMJS.