While there have been some notable struggles -- and subsequent absences -- to get players at Citizens Bank Park to take one of the three available COVID-19 vaccines, don't expect the same issue across the street at Lincoln Financial Field.
Wednesday, Philadelphia Eagles general manager Howie Roseman said that over 90% of the team's players have begun the vaccination process, as noted by Eliot Shorr-Parks of SportsRadio 94 WIP. That may mean that some still need to get the second shot of the Pfizer or Moderna vaccine, but by all accounts, the Eagles are on track not to have to do much worrying about the virus in their first season under head coach Nick Sirianni.
That's not to say that vaccinated players can't ultimately test positive, though the CDC says that "there is some evidence that vaccination may make illness less severe for those who are vaccinated and still get sick." An NBC News survey that spoke with health officials earlier this month found that there are a small number of individuals who are fully vaccinated and still end up needing to be hospitalized or dying from the virus, but they tend to be those that are senior citizens and/or have pre-existing health conditions.
There's also a convenience factor here. If you're fully vaccinated, you only have to be tested for COVID-19 once every two weeks, and the team will decide when that is. (Presumably, most teams will do it in the day or two after a game is played.) However, if you're unvaccinated, daily testing will continue, including on gameday. There will also be stricter rules placed on unvaccinated players in terms of how long they will be out for if they test positive for COVID-19, where facemasks are required and what social activities they can take part in when their team is on the road:
The league also has said that teams with outbreaks among unvaccinated players may be forced to forfeit in 2021, leaving their team with a loss and all players set to take part in the cancelled game without a check for that weekend.
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