A record 103 positive COVID-19 cases were found among players and staff in the Premier League over the past week.
Matches were postponed due to the recent rebound in positive spiralling tests.
Boxing Day saw three matches, Liverpool’s with Leeds being one of them. The clash was also called off by outbreaks at the clubs. On December 28, two more were also called off.
Over the last week, the Premier League has recorded 103 positive Covid-19 tests
A smaller number of teams have had their games moved.
The Premier League stated that safety is paramount and it is taking every precautionary step to mitigate the effects of Omicron-derived COVID-19.
The league has taken emergency steps and increased the testing of its players and staff. They now conduct daily lateral flow testing and two-weekly PCR testing. Prior to this, they used to do lateral-flow testing once a week.
The Premier League has seen positive cases rise for six weeks in succession (premier league chief executive Richard Marsters, pictured).
Even though a few games were cancelled during the holiday period, it was still a lot of fun.
“The league today confirmed that 15,186 COVID-19 testing were performed on club personnel and players between Monday 20 and Sunday 26 Dec.” There were 103 positive cases.
The Premier League has seen an increase in positive cases for the sixth consecutive week.
With 42 cases of positive results compared with 12 in the previous week, the first major jump was made during week 6-12.
Last week, the number of cases was more than twice that of the previous week. There were 90 additional cases.
Last week, the Premier League confirmed that 92% of its players and staff are members. They have all received the first, second, and third doses. 77% are double-jabbed.
Arsenal v Wolves on Sunday, and Aston Villa against Leeds on Saturday, the 28th of October have been postponed because positive cases
This figure is higher than the 68 percent reported in October.
The top-flight stated that 84% percent of its players have completed the vaccination journey. It means they received at least one dose. However, 16% of the players had not yet received their first dose.
The elite 20 clubs of England are far less than the top European leagues. According to the Bundesliga, 94% of German players and staff have been vaccinated. The Serie A rate in Italy is only 98%.
Even though there were more cases than matches, the Premier League decided that it was better to just continue with its normal activities and not stop taking action.
However, some managers questioned whether there had to be a break. Newcastle boss Eddie Howe argued about the league’s ‘integrity’ if certain teams played while others were delayed.
The games on Sunday, 28th of March were postponed by Leeds against Aston Villa as well as Arsenal’s match with Wolves.