Subject(s)
COVID-19 , Sports , Vaccines , Humans , COVID-19/prevention & control , Athletes , Sports/physiologyABSTRACT
OBJECTIVES: To determine the number of training days lost due to COVID-19 and vaccination against COVID-19 in elite athletes. DESIGN: Retrospective cohort study. METHODS: The questionnaire on the impact of vaccination and COVID-19 on training plans was filled out by 1073 elite Polish athletes who underwent routine medical screening between September and December 2021. RESULTS: COVID-19 was diagnosed in 421 subjects (39â¯%), of whom 26â¯% were asymptomatic. On the 10-point scale, <1â¯% of athletes had perceived severity of the disease above 8, whereas for 64â¯% it was 4 or below. Vaccination against COVID-19 was administered in 820 athletes (76â¯%), and adverse events were observed more frequently after the first dose than the second (69â¯% vs. 47â¯%). Influence on training (modified or lost) was declared by 369 of 421 (88â¯%) COVID-19 athletes, and by 226 of 820 vaccinated athletes (28â¯%). During the observation period, the average number of lost training days was 8.1 for COVID-19 and 2.6 for vaccination (pâ¯<â¯0.001). The cumulative number of person-days lost due to COVID-19 was 1041 versus 295 after vaccination thus, the average loss ratio was 1041/1073â¯=â¯0.97 vs. 295/820â¯=â¯0.36, respectively, pâ¯<â¯0.01. CONCLUSIONS: Athletes have a considerable loss of training days due to COVID-19. Vaccination against COVID-19 causes significantly smaller and predictable loss. This supports the inclusion of vaccination into prevention policies for athletes whenever they are available.
Subject(s)
COVID-19 , Vaccines , Humans , COVID-19/prevention & control , Retrospective Studies , Athletes , PolicyABSTRACT
Objective To determine the number of training days lost due to COVID-19 and vaccination against COVID-19 in elite athletes. Design Retrospective cohort study. Methods The questionnaire on the impact of vaccination and COVID-19 on training plans was filled out by 1073 elite Polish athletes who underwent routine medical screening between September and December 2021. Results COVID-19 was diagnosed in 421 subjects (39 %), of whom 26 % were asymptomatic. On the 10-point scale, <1 % of athletes had perceived severity of the disease above 8, whereas for 64 % it was 4 or below. Vaccination against COVID-19 was administered in 820 athletes (76 %), adverse events were observed more frequently after the first dose than after the second (69 % vs. 47 %). Influence on training (modified or lost) was declared by 369 of 421 (88 %) COVID-19 athletes, and by 226 of 820 vaccinated athletes (28 %). During the observation period, the average number of lost training days was 8.1 for COVID-19 and 2.6 for vaccination (p < 0.001). The cumulative number of person-days lost due to COVID-19 was 1041 versus 295 after vaccination thus, the average loss ratio was 1041/1073 = 0.97 vs 295/820 = 0.36, respectively, p < 0.01. Conclusions Athletes have a considerable loss of training days due to COVID-19. Vaccination against COVID-19 causes significantly smaller and predictable loss. This supports the inclusion of vaccination into prevention policies for athletes whenever they are available.