Beautiful Virgin Islands

Thursday, Sep 04, 2025

One quarter of footballers in  EFL 'DO NOT intend to get a Covid jab

One quarter of footballers in EFL 'DO NOT intend to get a Covid jab

Only 59 per cent of players have received two vaccinations, with a further 16 per cent having had a single dose and prepared to have another one. Low vaccination rates raise concern over infections.

One quarter of players in the Football League have no vaccination to Covid-19 despite months of encouragement from the EFL and clubs to get jabbed - and currently don't intend to have one.

Only 59 per cent of players have received two vaccinations, with a further 16 per cent having had a single dose and prepared to have another one.

The alarming figures have changed little in the last two months following a major push by the EFL, clubs and the deputy Chief Medical Officer for England Professor Jonathan Van Tam.

QPR had to call off Monday's Championship clash with Sheffield United due to an outbreak

Professor Jonathan Van Tam, a keen football fan, has encouraged players to have a jab


And they will raise significant concerns about the spread of Covid-19 among Football League clubs, with a tidal wave of infection surging across the country fuelled by the Omicron variant.

Last week, the Premier League identified 42 new cases of Covid among squads when it was testing players and twice a week. Subsequently, it has moved to daily testing with lateral flow kits plus two PCR tests a week.

And the infection is spreading. Now, Brentford, Manchester United, Chelsea, Norwich, Brighton, Leicester and Watford have all been affected.

There has been no mandatory testing in the EFL, raising questions about the level of infection that might already exist, although clubs have been free to test themselves.

On Monday, QPR had to call off a Championship clash with Sheffield United due to an outbreak of Covid.

Subsequently, the Hoops visit to Swansea was also postponed and yesterday it was confirmed that Reading's Sky Bet Championship match at home to Luton on Saturday has also fallen victim to a Covid-19 outbreak, along with Millwall's game against Preston.

As reported in Sportsmail, EFL clubs have been urging the league to introduce mandatory testing.

And today, league bosses have announced they will switch to 'red protocols' and demand daily testing.

'Clubs will be expected to implement a daily screening programme of testing, subject to supply chain availability of lateral flow tests,' the EFL said in a statement.

'Any person with a positive test of symptoms will then be required to take a PCR test and isolate in line with Government guidance.'

In addition, social distancing measures will be required outside of physical sessions, along with restrictions to the use of indoor facilities, therapy and group travel, among others.

Unlike last season, the league says it will not be releasing weekly updates about the number of players and staff who test positive.

Millwall's Championship match at Preston has been postponed because of a Covid outbreak

One quarter of footballers in the EFL say they currently do not intend to have a vaccination


The EFL's Medical Advisor, Dr Richard Higgins said: 'Further to enhanced medical guidance recently issued, in response to a growing number of COVID-19 cases and subsequent fixtures postponements in recent days, the EFL has opted to strengthen its protocols for all Clubs to help minimise the health risks to individuals while seeking to mitigate against the threat of further fixture postponements in the weeks ahead.

'Alongside enhanced protocols which includes mandatory testing ahead of matchdays, the EFL continues to strongly encourage players and staff at Clubs to get fully vaccinated and obtain a booster jab if eligible to do so.

'We know that getting double jabbed and boosted now will reduce the risk of getting seriously ill or dying from COVID-19, reduce the risk of catching or spreading COVID-19 amongst team-mates and loved ones, while helping protect against COVID-19 variants including Omicron.'

The EFL said it will be supporting the Government’s ‘Get Boosted Now’ campaign over the coming weeks.

Newsletter

Related Articles

Beautiful Virgin Islands
0:00
0:00
Close
Putin Celebrates ‘Unprecedentedly High’ Ties with China as Gazprom Seals Power of Siberia-2 Deal
China Unveils New Weapons in Grand Military Parade as Xi Hosts Putin and Kim
Queen Camilla’s Teenage Courage: Fended Off Attempted Assault on London Train, New Biography Reveals
Scottish Brothers Set Record in Historic Pacific Row
Rapper Cardi B Cleared of Liability in Los Angeles Civil Assault Trial
Google Avoids Break-Up in U.S. Antitrust Case as Stocks Rise
Couple celebrates 80th wedding anniversary at assisted living facility in Lancaster
Information Warfare in the Age of AI: How Language Models Become Targets and Tools
The White House on LinkedIn Has Changed Their Profile Picture to Donald Trump
"Insulted the Prophet Muhammad": Woman Burned Alive by Angry Mob in Niger State, Nigeria
Trump Responds to Death Rumors – Announces 'Missile City'
Court of Appeal Allows Asylum Seekers to Remain at Essex Hotel Amid Local Tax Boycott Threats
Germany in Turmoil: Ukrainian Teenage Girl Pushed to Death by Illegal Iraqi Migrant
United Krack down on human rights: Graham Linehan Arrested at Heathrow Over Three X Posts, Hospitalised, Released on Bail with Posting Ban
Asian and Middle Eastern Investors Avoid US Markets
Ray Dalio Warns of US Shift to Autocracy
Eurozone Inflation Rises to 2.1% in August
Russia and China Sign New Gas Pipeline Deal
China's Robotics Industry Fuels Export Surge
Suntory Chairman Resigns After Police Probe
Gold Price Hits New All-Time Record
Von der Leyen's Plane Hit by Suspected Russian GPS Interference in an Incident Believed to Be Caused by Russia or by Pro-Peace or by Anti-Corruption European Activists
UK Fintechs Explore Buying US Banks
Greece Suspends 5% of Schools as Birth Rate Drops
Apollo to Launch $5 Billion Sports Investment Vehicle
Bolsonaro Trial Nears Close Amid US-Brazil Tension
European Banks Push for Lower Cross-Border Barriers
Poland's Offshore Wind Sector Attracts Investors
Nvidia Reveals: Two Mystery Customers Account for About 40% of Revenue
Woody Allen: "I Would Be Happy to Direct Trump Again in a Film"
Pickles are the latest craze among Generation Z in the United States.
Deadline Day Delivers Record £125m Isak Move and Donnarumma to City
Nestlé Removes CEO Laurent Freixe Following Undisclosed Relationship with Subordinate
Giuliani Seriously Injured in Accident – Trump to Award Him the Presidential Medal of Freedom
EU is getting aggressive: Four AfD Candidates Die Unexpectedly Ahead of North Rhine-Westphalia Local Elections
Lula and Putin Hold Strategic BRICS Discussions Ahead of Trump–Putin Summit
WhatsApp is rolling out a feature that looks a lot like Telegram.
Investigations Reveal Rise in ‘Sex-for-Rent’ Listings Across Canada Exploiting Vulnerable Tenants
Chinese and Indian Leaders Pursue Amity Amid Global Shifts
European Union Plans for Ukraine Deployment
ECB Warns Against Inflation Complacency
Concerns Over North Cyprus Casino Development
Shipping Companies Look Beyond Chinese Finance
Rural Exodus Fueling European Wildfires
China Hosts Major Security Meeting
Chinese Police Successfully Recover Family's Savings from Livestream Purchases
Germany Marks a Decade Since Migrant Wave with Divisions, Success Stories, and Political Shifts
Liverpool Defeat Arsenal 1–0 with Szoboszlai Free-Kick to Stay Top of Premier League
Prince Harry and King Charles to Meet in First Reunion After 20 Months
Chinese Stock Market Rally Fueled by Domestic Investors
×