100 US Olympic Athletes Have Not Been COVID-19 Vaccinated

Approximately 100 of the 613 U.S. athletes descending on Tokyo for the Olympics have not been vaccinated against COVID-19.

What Happened: In a press conference in Tokyo on Friday, Dr. Jonathan Finnoff, chief medical officer for the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee, acknowledged that only 83% of Team USA’s 613 members submitted health history forms prior to their arrival in Tokyo. Finnoff added that this percentage represented "a substantial number, we're quite happy with that."

Vaccinations weren't mandatory for Olympic team members, even though Tokyo is in the midst of a state of emergency due to the surging number of COVID-19 cases in the Japanese capital. The health crisis forced the postponement of the Olympics last summer; to further prevent spreading COVID-19, the games are being conducted without spectators at the events venues.

Finoff’s data only included athletes participating in the sporting events and not the coaches and other support staff associated with the team.

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What Else Happened: Elsewhere in Tokyo, the Olympic team from Guinea has joined the games after an announcement earlier this week that the team was being withdrawn due to concerns over COVID-19.

The Associated Press reported Guinea’s Minister of Sports Sanoussy Bantama Sow reversed course after the initial AP report of withdrawal was greeted with anger from within the country. Guinea has participated in the Olympics since 1968 but has yet to win a medal.

With Guinea’s return, North Korea remained as the sole country that cited COVID-19 concerns as its reason to avoid the Olympics. The Tokyo Olympics will see the participation of 205 national Olympic committees and a Refugee Olympic Team consisting of stateless athletes.

Photo: Charis Tsevis / Flickr Creative Commons.