Why Vaccinated Athletes Are Testing Positive --- Vaccines are very effective at preventing death and severe illness -- but they're not foolproof in preventing infection

"A star NBA player, the U.S. Open golf champion and a Ugandan Olympic coach have something in common that is creating a new headache for sports organizers: they tested positive for the novel coronavirus after being vaccinated.

Throughout the pandemic, athletes have been the most tested population on the planet, sometimes providing vivid examples of emerging theories -- and sometimes helping prove them.

Now these athletes are showing that while vaccines are exceptionally effective in preventing death and severe illness from the coronavirus and its known variants, some are far from foolproof in preventing infection altogether.

Most of the athletes with so-called breakthrough infections are asymptomatic. The infections wouldn't have been noticed except for the fact that people who work in sports are among the last being tested intensely for the virus.

These surprising positive tests are a problem for the hosts of large events. In the case of the Olympics, they could trigger an outbreak in the surrounding Japanese population or beyond, to any of the 200 participating nations -- in addition to creating chaos in competitions.

The positive tests also complicate the argument made to athletes that vaccination will spare them from a positive test that bars them from competition. Now sports leaders have to contend with questions such as: Are people who are vaccinated but testing positive for the virus contagious? What does this mean for their close contacts? Who, if anyone, should be removed from the biggest event of their lives?" [1]

1. Why Vaccinated Athletes Are Testing Positive --- Vaccines are very effective at preventing death and severe illness -- but they're not foolproof in preventing infection
Radnofsky, Louise; Bachman, Rachel. Wall Street Journal, Eastern edition; New York, N.Y. [New York, N.Y]26 June 2021: A.14.