The most highly anticipated sporting event this year is the Summer Olympics. The games, postponed via COVID-19 in 2020, are set to begin July 23rd in Japan. There’s a problem, though.
Japan is reeling from COVID, and the government just announced an extension through May of a state of emergency. According to officials, the purpose is to “bring down infections and ease the strain on hospitals.”
Courtesy: LA Times
Are the Olympics in jeopardy again? According to NBC in Tokyo, not all of the athletes have had a second dose of the vaccine, and that could make the Olympics and Paralympics a super-spreader event. Thankfully, Pfizer is stepping forward.
Pfizer and its partner BioNTech will donate doses so that all athletes and coaches can be vaccinated fully. In IOC President Thomas Bach’s words, “This donation of the vaccine is another tool in our toolbox of measures to help make the Olympic and Paralympic Games Tokyo 2020 safe and secure for all participants.”
While this plan is promising, let’s also expect this to happen–some athletes/coaches may decide not to take advantage of this opportunity. That means quarantining is a must. What’s more, the IOC needs to step up and require participating athletes to have at least one dose of the vaccine.
As we’ve seen in this country–and elsewhere around the world–access to the vaccine doesn’t mean all people will step forward and get vaccinated.
