Dr. L. Leroy Sims, medical director of the National Basketball Association, which operated the bio-safe bubble this past summer in Orlando, joined frontline workers in California on Friday to get the COVID-19 Pfizer vaccine.
On the very first day of the vaccination at the hospital, he was among 148 respiratory physicians, registered nurses and doctors to get a job at Sutter Mills-Peninsula Medical Center in Burlingham, south of San Francisco.
“For me, this has been going on for a very long time,” Sims, who also practices emergency medicine at the hospital, told Reuters.
“I have been dealing with the epidemic since January 4 on the condition of informing the NBA and friends and family and have been following it really closely,” he said.
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“So at this point, there’s no worry, I’m really proud to be in this place.”
His vaccine arrives days before the regular season is ready to help. A handful of teams, including Land Relando Magic and the Utah Jazz, are allowing a limited number of fans in their field. The rest will depend, Sims said.
“It’s really going to be based on what the US looks like. What the northeast looks like from the southeast looks different from what the west looks like.”
“And what the case load is, the positivity rate is so, unless we get the green light from the public health department and in areas where we’re not allowed to take fans, we can’t, but to the extent that we can and Do it safely, we will, ‘said Sims, who did not give a date on whether fans could come to the games.
In the meantime, the league is focused on keeping players safe, recommending that they continue wearing masks and maintain physical distance, he said.
Sims added that the league will also continue its deep test protocol.
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According to the League and the National Basketball Players Association, about 9% of players tested positive before training camp began earlier this month. In late June, before gathering in Florida, only more than 5% tested positive, where the teams completed the season and postseason in the “bubble”.
During the league’s three-month stay at Walt Disney World in Land Rolando, none of the players and coaches tested positive for COVID-19 after the virus season derailed for four months in March.
As the vaccine rollout continues into the new year, Sims said the NBA will wait for health care workers, vulnerable people and any essential workers to be vaccinated before its players and staff.
“In everything we do, we have an eye on our social responsibility. So we’re not jumping the line. We’ll deliver it to a large number of our players and staff when we get the chance. We’ll do that,” he said.
“But we’re not going to do that before the necessary workers are vaccinated.”
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