Beautiful Virgin Islands

Tuesday, Jun 03, 2025

Why NBA players can get coronavirus tests but regular Americans are struggling to

Why NBA players can get coronavirus tests but regular Americans are struggling to

Because of a widespread testing shortage, Americans across the country with symptoms of the novel coronavirus have struggled to get tested.

Yet on Tuesday, the NBA's Brooklyn Nets announced that four of its players had tested positive for the virus, including three who had no symptoms at all. Last week, the NBA tested the entire Utah Jazz team after center Rudy Gobert tested positive, and another team that had recently played the Jazz also tested its entire traveling party.

The contrast between regular Americans' struggle to get tested and the NBA's capacity to test entire teams regardless of symptoms set off a mix of frustration and resentment toward the elite, best encapsulated in a tweet from New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio.

"We wish them a speedy recovery," de Blasio tweeted. "But, with all due respect, an entire NBA team should NOT get tested for COVID-19 while there are critically ill patients waiting to be tested. Tests should not be for the wealthy, but for the sick."

Public health officials don't agree with the mayor's assessment, according to NBA spokesman Mike Bass.

The NBA postponed its season after a member of the Utah Jazz tested positive for coronavirus on March 11, 2020.

"Public health authorities and team doctors have been concerned that, given NBA players' direct contact with each other and close interactions with the general public, in addition to their frequent travel, they could accelerate the spread of the virus," Bass said.

"Following two players testing positive last week, others were tested and five additional players tested positive. Hopefully, by these players choosing to make their test results public, they have drawn attention to the critical need for young people to follow CDC recommendations in order to protect others, particularly those with underlying health conditions and the elderly."
In other words, part of the impetus for testing NBA players is that they could become "super-spreaders" who unknowingly infect many other people.


Testing shortage for ordinary Americans


The scarcity of coronavirus testing in the US has been readily apparent for the past few weeks. Many Americans suffering symptoms associated with what's officially known as Covid-19 said they are angry and frustrated after trying to get tested only to be turned away, as CNN reported last week.

"No, we don't have enough test kits and neither does any other state, and no, the federal government does not have an answer," Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan said Tuesday. "We are behind, and that's going to continue to be a problem that we're all trying to address."

While US health officials say testing is ramping up - and while drive-through testing in several states is rolling out - a shortage of available testing remains an issue, CNN has found.

Given the overall shortage, coronavirus tests in the US are being given to those who reach certain criteria, including people who have been exposed to someone who has already tested positive. That, too, helps explain how the NBA players exposed to Gobert were able to get tests.

Eric Feigl-Ding, an epidemiologist and senior fellow at the Federation of American Scientists, called the current testing capacity in the US "abysmal for everyday Americans."

"Right now, we are playing catch-up and testing people who are very sick," he said. "We need to make testing available so that we get to the frontier of the cases, so that the moment someone develops symptoms, we test and quarantine them ... that's how you nip an epidemic in the bud."

Amid this shortage, the NBA has conducted testing of several teams in the wake of Gobert's positive results. And it has had the support of officials and medical experts the entire way.

Last week, the NBA's Utah Jazz said the initial decision to test Gobert for coronavirus was made "with NBA medical staff and Oklahoma health officials." Afterward, state health officials tested all members of the Jazz's traveling party and confirmed that Donovan Mitchell, who had no symptoms, had also tested positive for coronavirus.

Utah Gov. Gary Herbert and Lt. Gov. Spencer Cox praised the "prudent decision to test the entire team," they said in a joint statement.

The Toronto Raptors, who played the Jazz in Utah days before the positive tests, said that their traveling party was also all tested for coronavirus. They all tested negative, the team said.

Newsletter

Related Articles

Beautiful Virgin Islands
0:00
0:00
Close
Harvard Urges US to Unfreeze Funds for Public Health Research
Businessman Mauled by Lion at Luxury Namibian Lodge
Researchers Consider New Destinations Beyond the U.S.
53-Year-Old Doctor Claims Biological Age of 23
Trump Struggles to Secure Trade Deals With China and Europe
Russia to Return 6,000 Corpses Under Ukraine Prisoner Swap Deal
Microsoft Lays Off Hundreds More Amid Restructuring
Harvey Weinstein’s Publicist Embraces Notoriety
Macron and Meloni Seek Unity Despite Tensions
Trump Administration Accused of Obstructing Deportation Cases
Newark Mayor Sues Over Arrest at Immigration Facility
Center-Left Candidate Projected to Win South Korean Presidency
Trump’s Tariffs Predicted to Stall Global Economic Growth
South Korea’s President-Elect Expected to Take Softer Line on Trump and North Korea
Trump’s China Strategy Remains a Geopolitical Puzzle
Ukraine Executes Long-Range Drone Strikes on Russian Airbases
Conservative Karol Nawrocki wins Poland’s presidential election
Study Identifies Potential Radicalization Risk Among Over One Million Muslims in Germany
Good news: Annalena Baerbock Elected President of the UN General Assembly
Apple Appeals EU Law Over User Data Sharing Requirements
South Africa: "First Black Bank" Collapses after Being Looted by Owners
Poland will now withdraw from the EU migration pact after pro-Trump nationalist wins Election
"That's Disgusting, Don’t Say It Again": The Trump Joke That Made the President Boil
Trump Cancels NASA Nominee Over Democratic Donations
Paris Saint-Germain's Greatest Triumph Is Football’s Lowest Point
OnlyFans for Sale: From Lockdown Lifeline to Eight-Billion-Dollar Empire
Mayor’s Security Officer Implicated | Shocking New Details Emerge in NYC Kidnapping Case
Hegseth Warns of Potential Chinese Military Action Against Taiwan
OPEC+ Agrees to Increase Oil Output for Third Consecutive Month
Jamie Dimon Warns U.S. Bond Market Faces Pressure from Rising Debt
Turkey Detains Istanbul Officials Amid Anti-Corruption Crackdown
Taylor Swift Gains Ownership of Her First Six Albums
Bangkok Ranked World's Top City for Remote Work in 2025
Satirical Sketch Sparks Political Spouse Feud in South Korea
Indonesia Quarry Collapse Leaves Multiple Dead and Missing
South Korean Election Video Pulled Amid Misogyny Outcry
Asian Economies Shift Away from US Dollar Amid Trade Tensions
Netflix Investigates Allegations of On-Set Mistreatment in K-Drama Production
US Defence Chief Reaffirms Strong Ties with Singapore Amid Regional Tensions
Vietnam Faces Strategic Dilemma Over China's Mekong River Projects
Malaysia's First AI Preacher Sparks Debate on Islamic Principles
White House Press Secretary Criticizes Harvard Funding, Advocates for Vocational Training
France to Implement Nationwide Smoking Ban in Outdoor Spaces Frequented by Children
Meta and Anduril Collaborate on AI-Driven Military Augmented Reality Systems
Russia's Fossil Fuel Revenues Approach €900 Billion Since Ukraine Invasion
U.S. Justice Department Reduces American Bar Association's Role in Judicial Nominations
U.S. Department of Energy Unveils 'Doudna' Supercomputer to Advance AI Research
U.S. SEC Dismisses Lawsuit Against Binance Amid Regulatory Shift
Alcohol Industry Faces Increased Scrutiny Amid Health Concerns
Italy Faces Population Decline Amid Youth Emigration
×