Soccer in the time of COVID-19: 1 year report from an Italian top league club, March 2020–February 2021

Abstract

We report the events of an Italian top league soccer club that took place in one year (from March 2020 to February 2021) at the time of COVID-19 (coronavirus disease 2019) pandemic. In early March 2020, just before sport competitions were called off due to the national lockdown in Italy, the team, which included 27 players and 26 staff at the time, faced a COVID-19 outbreak, with 16 confirmed and seven probable cases, including three staff members who had to be hospitalised.In May 2020, at the resumption of the training sessions, a high prevalence of anti-SARS-CoV-2 IgG positivity (35/53, 66%) was detected among the members of the group. In the following months, sport activities were organised behind closed doors with stringent risk mitigation procedures in place. As of February 2021, only two new cases of SARS-CoV-2 infection were detected within the group, against more than 3500 nasopharyngeal swabs and 1000 serological tests.

Acute and post-acute COVID-19 presentations in athletes: a systematic review and meta-analysis

“…Of the 43 studies and 11 518 infected athletes included in this systematic review, the median number (IQR) of participants per study was 26 (15–101). The included studies were conducted in Argentina,15 Australia,16 Brazil,1 17 Denmark,18 Finland,19 Germany,20–23 Hungary,8 24 25 Italy,9 26–31 Poland,14 Qatar,2 Russia,32 Serbia,33 Turkey,34 UK35 36 and USA 3 6 7 37–47. One study was a multicentre collaboration led by researchers in South Africa,48 and one study was conducted across different countries in Europe 49…”

“…Eleven (25%) studies included only male athletes,2 9 15 18 19 21 22 29 33 36 49 2 (5%) studies included only female athletes32 34 and 22 (51%) studies included both male and female athletes 1 3 6 8 14 16 24–28 35 37–39 41–44 46–48. Eight (19%) studies did not report data on sex 7 17 20 23 30 31 40 45. All studies included young adults, except one that included youth athletes (mean age 14.0±1.9) 27.…”

“…All studies included young adults, except one that included youth athletes (mean age 14.0±1.9) 27. Fourteen studies did not report the age of participants 2 7 9 18 22 23 31 32 36 37 40 44 45 49. Two studies included only amateur athletes,19 30 12 studies included only college/university athletes,3 6 37–40 42–47 1 study included both collegiate and amateur athletes27 and 23 studies included only professional/elite athletes 1 2 7–9 14–16 18 21 22 24–26 29 31–36 41 49.…”

“…Fourteen studies did not report the age of participants 2 7 9 18 22 23 31 32 36 37 40 44 45 49. Two studies included only amateur athletes,19 30 12 studies included only college/university athletes,3 6 37–40 42–47 1 study included both collegiate and amateur athletes27 and 23 studies included only professional/elite athletes 1 2 7–9 14–16 18 21 22 24–26 29 31–36 41 49. Three studies included both professional and non-professional athletes,23 28 48 and 1 study included professional, college and amateur athletes 17.…”

“…Among the studies meta-analysed for disease severity (n=26), five of them clearly reported on criteria used for defining mild/moderate/severe disease,6 21 24 27 46 whereas 19 studies did not provide this information,1 3 14–16 25 26 28 29 31–33 35 38–41 43 47 and 2 studies had only asymptomatic infections 18 22…”