The NFL's high COVID-19 vaccination rates provides a "unique opportunity" to model a way out of the ongoing pandemic for the entire country, NFL chief medical officer Dr. Allen Sills said Wednesday in an interview with ESPN.
"We know we are going to have positive cases this season," Sills said a day before the league is scheduled to open its 2021 regular season. "I don't think 'COVID zero' is an attainable goal, and we all need to understand that. What we think we can do is keep our team environments as safe as possible, avoid widespread outbreaks and, with vaccinations in place, convert this into a seasonal illness as opposed to a devastating pandemic.