Abstract:
On March 11, 2020, SARS-CoV2 (COVID-19) was officially named as a pandemic by the World Health Organization. The United States began a country-wide quarantine in hopes to flatten the curve, but over a year later, COVID-19 is still a nationwide threat. The development and emergency release of three COVID-19 vaccines in early 2021 has been the first step in the right direction. The goal to achieve herd immunity is currently well underway with over 231 million vaccines administered in the United States. Although progress has been made and scientists continue to learn more about COVID-19, there is still much to discover about the virus and how it affects those who do contract it. In the world of athletics, team physicians and athletic trainers are working to determine when athletes who do test positive for COVID-19 are safe to return to physical activity. Research has shown that even those that successfully recover from COVID-19 can still have long term effects that can often go undetected. These effects can sometimes be life threatening which is why proper care and consideration needs to be taken to help these athletes return to sport without suffering from further injury.
