As COVID-19 outbreaks are causing several Premier League games to be postponed, Serie A remains almost entirely unaffected, and that may well be due to the very different vaccination statistics of players.
The Omicron variant spreads much faster than the previous versions of the Coronavirus and is currently ripping through English football.
Claudio Ranieri’s Watford are the latest victims of an outbreak and tonight’s game with Burnley was cancelled just two-and-a-half hours before kick-off.
A statement noted this was because Watford have “an insufficient number of first-team players available to fulfil the match.”
It comes after outbreaks at Manchester United, Tottenham Hotspur and others, reflecting the explosion of 80,000 new cases in the UK today alone.
Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp spoke today about the situation in the Premier League, confirming “everyone working at the training ground is at least double-vaccinated and will get the booster as soon as possible.”
However, that does not seem to be the case at many other sides in England, with Klopp urging ‘transparency’ in knowing who is double vaccinated and who is leaving themselves more open to the possibility of infection.
It shouldn’t be surprising that the outbreaks are occurring now, because in October the Premier League announced that 68 per cent of its players had been vaccinated.
That same month, the Lega Serie A confirmed that its vaccination uptake was 98 per cent.
No Serie A fixtures since October have been postponed due to COVID outbreaks, although there have been a few cases here and there, largely asymptomatic.
There has to be a significant gap between jabs, so those who got the vaccine later will also therefore have to wait before getting their booster.
Juventus and Italy defender Giorgio Chiellini posted an image of himself getting the booster jab on December 2.
Germany raised the issue of how to treat players who are unvaccinated too, with Bayern Munich refusing to pay five players for every game or training session they miss due to self-isolation after coming into contact with those who have COVID.
Bayern player Joshua Kimmich had been against vaccinations, but after contracting the virus and developing long-term lung complications, he has changed his mind and said he will get the vaccine as soon as possible.
Or players in Serie A are keeping clean and carefull.
Dont make the simple things so difficult.
infection rates are not the same with vaxxed and unvaxxed Justin. Yes the vaxxed can get infected but not at the same rate at all.
Well done to the players and staff in Italy, putting their faith in the science and not whats on social media.
@DB Milan…
What about the science pertaining to natural immunity from the creation of antibodies for those people who have fully recovered from CovID 19 infection?
Does science not apply to the fact that the immune system develops antibodies following viral infections?
What about it? Ask Joshua Kimmich if he wishes he had gotten the vaccination instead of the disease.