Marcus Smart has COVID-19

BlackJack

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How many tests were used on Celtics players and other employees of the team?

How many people with COVID-19 symptoms were denied tests because of the ones used here?
 

BigSoxFan

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Given how 2020 has gone for Boston sports, the player is almost assuredly Tatum
 

RG33

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Like all the other NBA teams, they paid a private lab to do their tests. It did not take away from any of the tests from the general public.
And there you go, ruining the poster's desire for faux outrage. Damn you.
 

DJnVa

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Dec 16, 2010
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How many tests were used on Celtics players and other employees of the team?

How many people with COVID-19 symptoms were denied tests because of the ones used here?
You should read up on where they get their tests.

Additionally, the Celtics were in contact with potential carriers and they are also easily trackable. Finding out if they have it can help lead to better understanding of it.
 

Time to Mo Vaughn

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You should read up on where they get their tests.

Additionally, the Celtics were in contact with potential carriers and they are also easily trackable. Finding out if they have it can help lead to better understanding of it.
Do you have a link to about this? I did a search and only found stories about the outrage of NBA players and other wealthy folks getting access to tests that others are getting denied.

I also don't subscribe that just because these were paid for in a private lab doesn't mean these aren't being denied from people that need them. We have healthcare workers with symptoms that can't get tested whereas their test determines whether or not they can continue providing care to patients. NBA athletes that are symptomatic (or not) should be in self quarantine like the rest of the non-essential public.
 

DJnVa

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Do you have a link to about this? I did a search and only found stories about the outrage of NBA players and other wealthy folks getting access to tests that others are getting denied.

I also don't subscribe that just because these were paid for in a private lab doesn't mean these aren't being denied from people that need them. We have healthcare workers with symptoms that can't get tested whereas their test determines whether or not they can continue providing care to patients. NBA athletes that are symptomatic (or not) should be in self quarantine like the rest of the non-essential public.
https://netswire.usatoday.com/2020/03/18/adam-silver-reacts-to-nyc-mayors-remark-about-nets-receiving-covid-19-tests-quickly/
And again, we're still learning about this disease. Testing a group (like NBA player) that have known contact with carriers (with a degree or 2 of separation) can help us learn more--because we can very likely track Marcus Smart and Kevin Durant's travel over the past 7-10 days and who he came in contact with.
 

slamminsammya

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Yea I don't see how it being a privately purchased test makes it better. Like, if someone was prancing down I 95 (which probably didnt exist?) in a Sherman tank in 1944 they just happened to privately own we wouldn't be like "thats fine! He bought it himself!"

Not the best comparison but you get the idea.
 

BlackJack

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https://netswire.usatoday.com/2020/03/18/adam-silver-reacts-to-nyc-mayors-remark-about-nets-receiving-covid-19-tests-quickly/
And again, we're still learning about this disease. Testing a group (like NBA player) that have known contact with carriers (with a degree or 2 of separation) can help us learn more--because we can very likely track Marcus Smart and Kevin Durant's travel over the past 7-10 days and who he came in contact with.
I read a piece that I found on my own that refers to health care professionals who make that sort of argument and I can see that as a legit reason to test them.

The ‘it was a private lab’ answer on the other hand is 100% bullshit.

There isn’t shortage of insurance covered tests. There is a shortage of tests period. The fact that rich people can get them is unsurprising but that doesn’t mean that it’s ok.
 

JCizzle

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The no symptoms part is what gets me. I wonder if we'll ever know how widespread this thing really is because of that.
 

SemperFidelisSox

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How can the league possibly restart the season, even in a few weeks, with all these players and employees testing positive. I’m really starting to lean towards a full cancellation.
 

shawnrbu

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How can the league possibly restart the season, even in a few weeks, with all these players and employees testing positive. I’m really starting to lean towards a full cancellation.
Regular season is over. Make the first two rounds of the playoffs best of 5. Last two rounds can stay a best of 7. Playoffs end sometime in August. New season starts on Christmas.
 

DJnVa

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I read a piece that I found on my own that refers to health care professionals who make that sort of argument and I can see that as a legit reason to test them.

The ‘it was a private lab’ answer on the other hand is 100% bullshit.

There isn’t shortage of insurance covered tests. There is a shortage of tests period. The fact that rich people can get them is unsurprising but that doesn’t mean that it’s ok.
I guess.

But the CDC recommends talking to health professional if:

1--in contact with someone that has tested positive. The Celtics played the Jazz on March 6. Gobert was tested positive 5 days later.
2--if you're in a community that has an outbreak. The NBA community certainly seems to fit.

Health professionals then can ask for testing in certain cases, including:

epidemiologic factors that may also help guide decisions about COVID-19 testing. Documented COVID-19 infections in a jurisdiction and known community transmission may contribute to an epidemiologic risk assessment to inform testing decisions.
It is not an outrage that these people are tested. It's not like every rich Hollywood star is getting testing. There's a epidemiological reason for NBA players, especially those that were close to Gobert and Mitchell, get tested.
 

Red Averages

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How can the league possibly restart the season, even in a few weeks, with all these players and employees testing positive. I’m really starting to lean towards a full cancellation.
Current estimate is that it takes 2-6 weeks after you get the virus before you cannot spread it. If they sent every player to a location and started a March madness style tournament (or regular playoffs) either in a month (after testing everyone) or May 1st it could definitely be done. Or they wait til June if they are extra conservative.
 

BigSoxFan

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Current estimate is that it takes 2-6 weeks after you get the virus before you cannot spread it. If they sent every player to a location and started a March madness style tournament (or regular playoffs) either in a month (after testing everyone) or May 1st it could definitely be done. Or they wait til June if they are extra conservative.
And what happens when someone tests positive in May/June?
 

riboflav

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Regular season is over. Make the first two rounds of the playoffs best of 5. Last two rounds can stay a best of 7. Playoffs end sometime in August. New season starts on Christmas.
Dude, it's over. Lucky if they can start in Oct. 2020 (odds less than 50%).
 

mikeot

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Regular season is over. Make the first two rounds of the playoffs best of 5. Last two rounds can stay a best of 7. Playoffs end sometime in August. New season starts on Christmas.
This should work.
 

Red Averages

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And what happens when someone tests positive in May/June?
Maybe you missed the part (or I didn't properly articulate) where I said all players get moved to one location. Presumably you would quarantine the location (hotel or apartments or whatever it is) with just players and their families. If you do, they shouldn’t be getting sick in May/June if they aren’t around others. I’m sure you could find a few hotels and a stadium that would love the business... and the league would make serious money re-opening while fans are home.
 
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Montana Fan

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Based on how may NBA players have tested positive (wish I knew exactly how many had been tested), extrapolating that percentage to the whole country, how may people are positive for Covid 19 in the US?
 

lexrageorge

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Based on how may NBA players have tested positive (wish I knew exactly how many had been tested), extrapolating that percentage to the whole country, how may people are positive for Covid 19 in the US?
NBA players are not necessarily representative of the entire population in terms of their social habits, and it's a small and tight enough group that one player contracting it could spread it enough to skew the numbers.
 

Gdiguy

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I read a piece that I found on my own that refers to health care professionals who make that sort of argument and I can see that as a legit reason to test them.

The ‘it was a private lab’ answer on the other hand is 100% bullshit.

There isn’t shortage of insurance covered tests. There is a shortage of tests period. The fact that rich people can get them is unsurprising but that doesn’t mean that it’s ok.
I just want to clarify this (I've posted this in a couple other threads) -

The 'test' is a qPCR with a set of primers against COVID19 (plus a positive control against a human gene). There's not really a shortage of the raw materials for the qPCR at this point (I literally ordered the primers earlier this week for our academic research lab). There is becoming a shortage of nasal swabs (which is worrying), but the actual test isn't really limiting currently. What there has been a massive shortage of is 2 things - (1) CDC-prepared and provided (and validated) materials (which, at least initially, were required in the US for clinical testing), and then (2) CLIA-certified labs set up to run the tests (and run them in large numbers).

So if you're an NBA team and want to run this test, it's not really a huge deal (especially if you don't totally care about it being fully clinically certified), and the raw cost is in the tens of dollars. The initial Oklahoma one was definitely the CDC-provided one; that I think was more questionable of a decision by the public health officials there (though, to be honest, that's what we should be doing in general - testing everyone who's had repeated close contact with someone who tests positive). But I wouldn't say running the tests in a private lab is taking away from the broader use at this point.
 

kelpapa

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Based on how may NBA players have tested positive (wish I knew exactly how many had been tested), extrapolating that percentage to the whole country, how may people are positive for Covid 19 in the US?
It was 7 players as of this morning.
 

BlackJack

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But I wouldn't say running the tests in a private lab is taking away from the broader use at this point.
Then why are people talking about scarcity of tests? How do you square these statements with all the reports of people being denied testing?

Edit: is it really as simple as saying ‘Send it to a private lab, I’ll pay for it’?
 

Devizier

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Then why are people talking about scarcity of tests? How do you square these statements with all the reports of people being denied testing?
1) Hard to get CDC-certified kits
2) You need a safe lab to perform the tests in so that the technicians don’t get infected

The scarcity is really a labor issue rather than a resource issue. You could buy all the reagents necessary off the shelf for not a ton of money. Sample collection is probably the hardest part.
 

BlackJack

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1) Hard to get CDC-certified kits
2) You need a safe lab to perform the tests in so that the technicians don’t get infected

The scarcity is really a labor issue rather than a resource issue. You could buy all the reagents necessary off the shelf for not a ton of money. Sample collection is probably the hardest part.
Right, the testing is in short supply and rich people can jump the line.

I'm a Celtics fan, I like Marcus Smart. I'm not swearing off the NBA or anything.

I just think it sucks that there's people who are sick, some of whom are medical professionals who are trying to help care for people, that can't get tested when asymptomatic people get tested because they are rich.

Maybe there is a real public health interest in identifying 'super spreaders' that can justify testing all of the NBA teams and some unknown number of their non-athlete employees. I can accept that it is possible but it's harder to believe that argument when it goes hand in hand with obviously BS arguments that scarce tests aren't really scarce (if you're rich and connected!)
 

nighthob

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Right, the testing is in short supply and rich people can jump the line.
Or you can pay someone to create one, which hospitals are not allowed to do. Hospitals are constrained by the scarcity of CDC approved test kits. Those kits aren't being given to the rich because the rich aren't going to the hospital ER for testing. If you wanted to use your scarcer resources you could do the same thing. People have explained this to you three times, if you want to get angry at someone, get angry at the CDC.
 

BlackJack

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edit: n/m - belongs in V&N not here, sorry for the digression from forum appropriate discussion in this thread
 
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djbayko

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Based on how may NBA players have tested positive (wish I knew exactly how many had been tested), extrapolating that percentage to the whole country, how may people are positive for Covid 19 in the US?
All 30 teams could be traced to the Nets via playing games against each other within a couple weeks of Rudy Gobert being confirmed positive. I don't think it's wise to draw any broader conclusions from the NBA sample.
 

DeJesus Built My Hotrod

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Just because it would make some of us feel a touch better, can we change the thread title to "COVID-19 has Marcus Smart"? I would like to think if anyone can stop this thing, its Smarf.
 

InstaFace

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If you were going to pick a player likeliest to be all up in Gobert's and Mitchell's business... well, no surprise who it turned out to be.
 

TripleOT

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I've been speculating this transmission pattern. Someone who attended the Biogen conference in Boston (or was infected by an attendee) passed the virus to Gobert, when the Jazz were in Boston, who passed it to other NBA players.
 

Obscure Name

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I've been speculating this transmission pattern. Someone who attended the Biogen conference in Boston (or was infected by an attendee) passed the virus to Gobert, when the Jazz were in Boston, who passed it to other NBA players.
Celtics played the Jazz on the 6th. If Smart contracted the disease from Gobert, shouldn't he be cleared within the next day or two?