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Peter Cummings of Bangor is the CEO of Veritas Sports Injury Research Network. He is also a physician, coach and parent. Donald Haas is the head physician for the Veritas Sports Injury Research Network’s Scientific Advisory Board. He lives in Princeton, New Jersey.
Many states across the country have suspended fall sports citing safety risks from the COVID-19 pandemic and claiming this action is necessary to protect our children. We wonder what we are protecting them from? Even in communities where the numbers are dropping, decision makers seem to be digging their heels in, opting to close schools and now sports.
Today, the data in Maine point to a significant drop in cases. Right now, new cases are 1.9 per 100,000 and the infection rate is 1.07. Because that number is close to 1, we know that COVID-19 is still spreading, but at a very slow and controlled fashion. Even better is the 0.5 percent positive test rate, which tells us testing is aggressive and widespread.
In acting against the Maine Principals Association and its sports medicine panel’s unanimous recommendation to allow fall sports, the governor’s office seems to be ignoring this impressive data. We are concerned the action is based in fear, not facts.
The truth is, most kids don’t get sick from COVID-19 infections. Nearly half of COVID-19 infections are asymptomatic in the general population, with a likely higher asymptomatic rate in children. Symptomatic cases in the young are usually mild with faster recovery times. The American Academy of Pediatrics reports 90 fatalities among children through Aug. 27, representing 0.3 percent of all COVID-19 fatalities (among 43 states reporting). To place these numbers in context, influenza resulted in 46,000 hospitalizations and 186 deaths among children during 2018.
Additionally, there are compelling data to suggest the risk of transmission by children seems low — schools and sports may have only a narrow impact on the further spread of infection. In states such as Utah that have been playing high school football for over a month, COVID-19 infection rates are declining.
Our kids have been playing in parks and playgrounds all summer, and there has been no spike in cases. In communities where we saw large crowds gathering to protest, COVID-19 case numbers are actually decreasing. Scientist suggest this is because people were out in the sun and wind — such as the environment of youth and high school sports.
As parents, coaches and physicians, we would argue that if the governor’s office was truly worried about the health and well-being of our children, they would be considering the skyrocketing rates of teen anxiety, depression, substance abuse and suicide. The stresses on our families have also increased rates of domestic violence and child abuse.
Sports are protective against these negative life stressors and it is clear children need sports more now than ever. So we ask again, what are we protecting our children from?
Our national strategy remains flattening the curve, not elimination of the virus. Positive cases are inevitable and COVID-19 is something we are going to have to live with. Our children cannot stay locked inside until there are zero cases in our communities — this is something that will never happen. For example, the novel H1N1 virus, which caused the 2009 pandemic and was responsible for taking up to 575,400 lives in the first year, most (80 percent) of whom were under the age of 65, is still widespread around the globe. We must be reminded that there is a big difference between a few positive cases and an outbreak.
With coaches, athletes and parents adhering to the measures currently in place, outbreaks will be prevented, positive cases will not. It is vital to the health and well-being of our children that we as adults find a way and stop finding excuses. We can do this safely. Let them play.
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