Pac-12 Fumbles With COVID-19 Testing
The Pac-12 has released a statement following the discovery of an error within their COVID-19 testing protocol. Last week two Pac-12 games were canceled. The Cal vs. Washington game and Utah vs. Arizona game. In addition to this, three players from Stanfords' roster were restricted from playing Oregon due to COVID-19 "testing results". This included QB Davis Mills, DE Trey LaBounty, and WR Connor Wedington.
Here is the statement from the Pac-12,
“During Pac-12 game day testing this past Saturday, there were testing protocol errors with respect to a Stanford student-athlete who tested positive for COVID-19. The student-athlete and others who were immediately identified as individuals who would be high-risk contacts if the student-athlete were positive did not play in the game, in accordance with Pac-12 protocols, and the student-athletes were immediately isolated. Upon return to campus, Stanford, in communication with the Pac-12 COVID-19 Medical Advisory Committee, administered a daily PCR diagnostic testing cadence that has consistently shown that the student-athlete does not have COVID-19 and is thus cleared to resume practice and competition. The Pac-12 medical group has reviewed and supports the decision. We apologize to the Stanford football team and its supporters, and especially to the student-athletes who were held out of the game as a result of the testing protocol errors. We are working with our game day testing partner to ensure this type of error does not occur in the future.”
Stanford athletics released a follow up statement confirming that all four athletes would be available for this weeks game against Colorado.
"Today, the Pac-12 Conference acknowledged testing protocol errors that resulted in inconclusive COVID-19 test results for one football student athlete prior to the team's game at Oregon on Nov. 7. Out of an abundance of caution, the student athlete was held out of the game and has been in isolation since, while the three others who were deemed as high risk exposures through University and Santa Clara County contact tracing protocols have also been quarantine and did not play in the game. All four student-athletes have remained asymptomatic throughout the isolation and quarantine period.
Since Saturday, multiple confirmatory PCR tests have been conducted on the student -athlete who received a the inconclusive result, and all confirmatory tests have been negative.
Due to the procedural errors and the subsequent series of negative confirmatory PCR tests, Saturdays inconclusive tests results have been deemed invalid by team doctors, doctors unaffiliated with Stanford Athletics, and the Pac-12 Medical Advisory Committee. The four student athletes who were affected will rejoin the program immediately and be available for Saturday's game vs. Colorado."
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