IHSA Survey: 3% of Student-Athlete COVID Cases Due to Sports

A recent survey from the Illinois High School Association (IHSA) shows only three percent of COVID-19 cases found in student-athletes stemmed from athletics.

The survey drew from more than 1,400 responses across 10 different sports, and showed the successful mitigation of the pandemic risks by Illinois high school coaches and athletes, according to a recent story in PJStar.com.

“Early on in the process, we tried to communicate to Illinois Department of Public Health our confidence in the protocols we were going to put into place,” IHSA executive director Craig Anderson said according to PJStar.com. “We had no doubt our mitigations would be followed by our schools.”

The remaining 97 percent of COVID cases, the survey stated, came outside close contact. Other data seen from the survey included 18 percent of student-athletes had a COVID case while five percent reported a coach testing positive. Of the five percent of coaches report, four percent of those were traced to a sporting event, the PJStar.com reported.

The sports included boys and girls basketball, boys swimming/diving, girls gymnastics, boys and girls bowling, badminton, competitive dance, competitive cheer, and sideline spirit.

“Our data gathered from other states around us showed that COVID was not spreading from sporting events,” Anderson said to PJStar.com. “We’re happy the IDPH and state officials worked out a plan with us to get kids back into competition.”

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More athletes had to quarantine because of close contact with COVID positive cases from non-sports participants or family members, according to the survey. Only 2.5% of positive test results in athletes caused close contact quarantines for participants at opposing schools.

To read the full story about the IHSA’s response to COVID-19 and the lack of transmission from sporting events among student-athletes from PJStar.com, click here.