COVID-19, Game Cancellations, and the NCAA Tournament

[stever20]

I think something that needs to be remembered...

2020-21 season had all of 4,285 games. That included all the conference tournaments and the NCAA tournament.

So far this year we've had per Ken Pom 2,346 games played. Less than 2,000 fewer already. We're well on our way to having at least 5,000 games played if not more before the conference tournaments even start.

[gtmoBlue]

The new CDC COVID guidance is not based on valid studies or fact. It is an accommodation intended to
boost compliance. Most western countries are at 10 days isolated.

Some experts questioned the new CDC rules that halve the isolation period for asymptomatic coronavirus infections, saying more infections could result. The new directive does not require testing to confirm that a person is no longer infectious before they go back to work or socialize.
"They were trying to strike a balance: How do we do good public health principles at the time we don't have to get to the point where you're forced to essentially shut the country down," Anthony Fauci, the U.S. government's top infectious disease official, told MSNBC in explaining the CDC's new guidance.

This move can easily backfire on us.

[XUFan09]

The new CDC COVID guidance is not based on valid studies or fact. It is an accommodation intended to
boost compliance. Most western countries are at 10 days isolated.

Some experts questioned the new CDC rules that halve the isolation period for asymptomatic coronavirus infections, saying more infections could result. The new directive does not require testing to confirm that a person is no longer infectious before they go back to work or socialize.
"They were trying to strike a balance: How do we do good public health principles at the time we don't have to get to the point where you're forced to essentially shut the country down," Anthony Fauci, the U.S. government's top infectious disease official, told MSNBC in explaining the CDC's new guidance.

This move can easily backfire on us.

Yep. I don't understand why they didn't include testing before leaving isolation. It's a very easy thing to tag on. Generally speaking, if you get a rapid antigen test five days after first testing positive and it comes back negative, you're probably no longer contagious.

https://twitter.com/ashishkjha/status/1 ... 2424822789

[Fieldhouse Flyer]

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Pac-12 to shorten recommended isolation time to five days after positive COVID-19 tests - Heather Dinich, ESPN – December 30, 2021


UConn coach Dan Hurley addresses mental toll of COVID-19 as Huskies men's basketball program remains paused – Associated Press – Dec. 30, 2021

Since the season began Nov. 9, more than 190 men's Division I basketball games have been canceled or postponed due to COVID-19. The majority came after mid-December, with several stretching into the new year.

Hurley said it's clear that even if UConn has enough players to suit up for its next scheduled game at Seton Hall on Jan. 8, the Huskies won't be at full strength, because of the staggered nature of people testing positive.

Hurley said there has been talk around the Big East about instituting a five-day rather than 10-day quarantine for players who come down with COVID-19, as recommended by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. But, because of all the public health and political officials who would have to sign off on that, he's not clear how soon that can happen.

"There's a sense, I think, of getting through the first six weeks of I don't know, 13 games, that we were kind of in the clear with this," Hurley said. "It's been a real humbling reminder."Hurley, who said he's been feeling better over the past day, has been trying to keep spirts up on his team, telling them that since everyone is getting the virus now and everyone is vaccinated they've got a good chance of being healthy the rest of the season -- at least he hopes so.

"This should be our last pause, hopefully," Hurley said. "Or, I'm telling them this is our last pause and that we're going to play out the rest of the way. I think that's what's keeping everybody going."

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United States Coronavirus Cases – Worldometers – updated continuously

Total Daily New Cases of COVID-19 on November 29, 2021: 77,953

First Confirmed Case of Omicron Variant Detected in the United States – Media Statement - CDC.gov/coronavirus – December 1, 2021


United States Coronavirus Cases – Worldometers – updated continuously

Total Daily New Cases of COVID-19 on December 30, 2021: 572,029

The US shattered its average daily Covid-19 case record again. Experts say numbers will keep climbing in the coming weeks - Christina Maxouris, CNN - December 31, 2021

As the latest surge sweeps across the US, pushing cases and hospitalizations to unprecedented levels and altering daily life once again for many Americans, experts warn we're still weeks away from a possible turning point.

Given the size of our country and the diversity of vaccination versus not vaccination, that it likely will be more than a couple of weeks (until Covid-19 cases peak)," Dr. Anthony Fauci, the nation's leading infectious disease expert, told CNBC this week. "Probably by the end of January."

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[gtmoBlue]

Hmmm. So Dr. Fauci thinks Omicron will "peak" by the end of January. Does that also imply that the levels will drop
back to some sort of normalcy by Mid- March (Tourney time)?

What will be the minimum games needed to qualify for the NCAA Tourney? 20? 22? 25?

[XUFan09]

Xavier with 10 days off already while healthy and a projected additional 7 days before their next game. Creighton is just about to play again 14 days after their last game, and they've all been healthy, I believe. Any other schools experiencing long pauses while they're ready to play? I honestly just haven't been keeping track.

Unless they're very lucky, it's just a matter of time before these teams also have a COVID pause that disrupts their conference schedule. I just do not get why the Big East did not incorporate rules allowing games to be moved up while they're in the clear. It would be especially beneficial to Xavier and Creighton, who have full control over their venues.

[Omaha1]

Xavier with 10 days off already while healthy and a projected additional 7 days before their next game. Creighton is just about to play again 14 days after their last game, and they've all been healthy, I believe. Any other schools experiencing long pauses while they're ready to play? I honestly just haven't been keeping track.

Unless they're very lucky, it's just a matter of time before these teams also have a COVID pause that disrupts their conference schedule. I just do not get why the Big East did not incorporate rules allowing games to be moved up while they're in the clear. It would be especially beneficial to Xavier and Creighton, who have full control over their venues.

Creighton doesn’t have full control of CHI, but we could always play at Sokol on campus where the womens basketball team and volleyball team play.

[Jet915]

BIG EAST MBB
@BIGEASTMBB
·
16m
The BIG EAST has announced the rescheduling of two #BIGEASThoops games:

@GeorgetownHoops
at
@PCFriarsmbb
– January 20, 5 p.m. ET, FS1 (originally scheduled on 12/22)

Georgetown at
@BluejayMBB
– February 14, 9 p.m. ET, FS1 (originally scheduled on 12/28)

[micgoG'town]

Creighton/G'town now playing back to back. Saturday, then Monday.

[Fieldhouse Flyer]

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When Are You Most Contagious If You Get COVID? Here's the Latest from the CDC - NBC News - December 30, 2021

When Are People with COVID Most Contagious?

The CDC says that its guidelines were updated to reflect growing evidence that suggests transmission of COVID-19 often occurs one to two days before the onset of symptoms and during the two to three days afterward.

"This has to do with data from the CDC that really showed after seven days there's virtually no risk of transmission at this point," Arwady said. "And in that five-to-seven-day window, you know, there's some depending on whether people have been vaccinated, underlying conditions, etc., but the risk drops a lot and the feeling is that in the general population, combined with masking, etc. the risk really is very low."

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COVID live updates: US reports 1 million daily COVID cases after holiday backlog - Mary Kekatos, ABC News - January 4, 2022

Daily new infections hit 1,082,549, according to Johns Hopkins University data.

Record 1 Million New Covid-19 Cases Reported In The U.S. On Monday - Siladitya Ray, Forbes – January 4, 2022

The U.S. reported 1.08 million new Covid-19 cases across the country on Monday, a record single-day rise in cases for any country since the start of the pandemic as the highly infectious omicron variant of the coronavirus fuels a massive new wave across the country.

According to data aggregated by the Johns Hopkins University tracker, Monday’s case count is nearly double the previous single-day record of more than 585,000 set on December 30. The steep single-day rise in cases is likely a statistical anomaly caused by delays in reporting due to the holidays.

The unrelenting surge in cases may prompt a revision of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) isolation guidelines which were recently shortened to five days for asymptomatic individuals. The agency may now recommend getting a negative test after five days before an infected individual ends isolation.

While federal government officials have been reluctant to impose any stringent restrictions, the fast-spreading variant is forcing large-scale flight cancellations and a return to remote learning for various schools and colleges.

More than 100,000 people hospitalized with Covid-19 in US for first time in nearly four months - Deidre McPhillips, CNN - January 4, 2022

Update to CDC's Covid-19 isolation guidance is imminent, source says - Kaitlan Collins, CNN - January 4, 2022

The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is expected to update its guidance on the recommended isolation period imminently, according to a source familiar with the plan. The agency, could provide the update as soon as today [Tuesday].

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