NFL's COVID-19 Positive Test Rate Among All Players, Staff at 0.46 Percent

The NFL released its latest COVID-19 testing numbers Wednesday, per ESPN's Kevin Seifert.

Among 109,075 tests of NFL players, coaches and staff members, only .46 tested positive. Among only players, .81 percent have tested positive.

The initial intake process involved 9,983 tests, per Seifert, with 1.7 percent overall and 1.9 percent of players testing positive.

The news comes amid word that the NFLPA and NFL have agreed to stretch daily testing through Sept. 5, five days before the season is slated to begin with the Houston Texans visiting the defending Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs.

"We will continue to monitor positivity rates within each club and relevant information from each team community to inform our assessment of testing frequency ahead of the regular season," the NFLPA wrote in a tweet announcing the move.

The NFL planned to move to testing every other day if positive results stayed under 5 percent through the first two weeks of training camp, but it has since backtracked, per Josh Alper of Pro Football Talk. A letter from the NFL to all 32 teams read as follows, per Alper:

"Although the rate of positive tests for all player and Tier 1 and Tier 2 personnel across the league during this period is below 1 percent (and no individual club rate is greater than 2 percent) the parties, following consultation with their respective medical experts, have elected to continue to require daily testing of all players and Tier 1 and Tier 2 personnel until further notice."

NFL training camps are in full swing across the country, although the preseason is far different from previous years.

There are no preseason games in 2020, and training camps consist of gradual ramp-up periods of physical activity to acclimate players to live action amid the COVID-19 pandemic, which forced offseason workouts to be held in a virtual setting this year.

Full-contact practices may be held beginning Monday.

Judy Battista of NFL Network called Wednesday's results "very, very low numbers" for the league as it attempts to hold a 2020 season sans a bubble environment, which has been successful for the NBA, NHL, WNBA and MLS stateside.

Battista also quoted NFL chief medical officer Dr. Allen Sills in expressing optimism while also keeping an eye on the future.

"The positive rate on intake—meaning new infections as players/coaches/staff reported for camp—was also under 2 percent. Sills said he would not have been surprised if that number was much higher because people were coming from around the country.

"Will be interesting to see if those numbers can stay as low as teams ramp up contact in camp next week. Talked to a GM today who said keeping daily testing was the right move."

Sixty-seven players have opted out of the 2020 NFL season due to COVID-19 concerns, per NFL.com.

Players who have opted into the season but have either tested positive for COVID-19 or have been in close contact with someone who has will be placed on the reserve/COVID-19 list. The Minnesota Vikings' website offered a full explanation for that list:

"This new reserve list category was created for a player who either tests positive for COVID-19 or who has been quarantined after having been in close contact with an infected person or persons. If a player falls into either of these categories, their club is required to immediately place the player on the reserve/COVID-19 list. Per agreed upon NFL-NFLPA policy, clubs are not permitted to comment on player's medical status other than referring to roster status. Clubs may not disclose whether player is in quarantine or is positive for COVID-19."

All 32 teams are scheduled to begin their seasons between Sept. 10 and Sept. 14.