After making it through the majority of the season without COVID-19 having a significant impact, the 49ers have found themselves dealing with a cluster of cases in the secondary.
At the time of writing, the 49ers have placed the following players on the Reserve/COVID-19 list:
- RB Raheem Mostert (Injured Reserve)
- CB Dontae Johnson
- CB K’Waun Williams
- S Jimmie Ward
- CB Ambry Thomas
- CB Deommodore Lenoir
Lenoir’s placement on the list came on Wednesday, while all others were on Tuesday. That could be significant in terms of whether he’s able to return by Sunday’s regular season finale against the Los Angeles Rams.
Had this come at the start of the season, it would have been difficult for these players to clear the protocols in time for Sunday’s game. But On December 16, the NFL updated their COVID-19 protocols, and the NFL and NFLPA agreed to update the joint protocols again on December 28.
The result of those changes is that instead of being subject to a 10-day isolation period, players — per updated guidance from the Centers for Disease Control — are only subject to a five-day isolation period if they are asymptomatic, regardless of vaccination status.
Per the league’s memo, in order to clear protocol after the five-day period from their initial positive test, the following must also be true, per the NFL:
“An individual must clear at least 24 hours since their last fever without the aide of fever-reducing medication; other symptoms must be “resolved or improved”; individual must be cleared by team doctor in consultation with ICS and NFL; and any local regulations or requirements have been satisfied.
Once cleared all individuals must wear a mask for five days after returning except when participating in practice or a game.”
This means that players on the end of that five-day window must have resolved or improved their symptoms and not display a fever, and also not take fever-reducing medication. This is determined by the team’s doctor, who consults with the Infection Control for Sports and league to clear players.
That would apply to Johnson, Williams, Ward and Thomas, who would finish the five-day window on Saturday.
Lenoir, though, would not be able to clear that window in time for Sunday’s game. But the other updates to the protocols would give him a chance to be play, if he is vaccinated, which the overwhelming majority of 49ers players are.
The league created the ability to “test out” of protocols. They determined that the thresholds for deeming a player contagious were higher than they should be, especially as it pertains to the Omicron variant. The memo gets very technical and talks about the cycle thresholds — or in other words, how much scrutiny a test has to be put under to reveal a positive test — and set a lower standard than had been the case in the past.
This is all to say that Lenoir, and any of these other players, could clear protocols before the five-day asymptomatic window if they are asymptomatic for at least 24 hours.
Basically if a player has two consecutive negative tests after their positive result, they can be released from protocols.
In order for any of the players on the current list to play via any scenario, the 49ers would have to activate them by Saturday at 4:00 PM E.T.
This is all to say that all of the 49ers’ players have a chance to play on Sunday. But they either have to test negative twice, or be asymptomatic at the end of the five-day period. The latter part of that is more nebulous, because some people have no or limited effects resulting from the virus, while some have serious cases.
That includes athletes, like Seattle’s Tyler Lockett, who said he lost eight pounds and could “barely move” during his bout with COVID-19. So while that’s a serious case and probably unlikely for most people, let alone athletes, it’s still unpredictable and case-by-case in every situation.