Dr. Nate Barger knew the one-word answer before the question was asked. The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga assistant athletics director for sports medicine had already been keeping up with recent news about a sudden spike in cases concerning a certain virus.
He also knows that for all the vaccines and boosters and social distancing and masks, we still haven’t gotten rid of the most wide-ranging medical problem of the past 70 years, and that it could still disrupt a third straight college football season if we’re not careful.
“COVID-19,” Barger said even before the question had been completed. “The BA.5 sub-variant. We’ve seen it. We’ve heard about it. We’re watching for it. But we haven’t had a COVID case in months with our athletes. Most are vaccinated and they’ve done a really good job of doing what we’ve asked of them.”
He then added, “And the cases we have had haven’t come from athletic competition. They’ve come when our athletes have just been hanging out, socializing with each other. I think we’re just going to have to learn to live it. It’s not going away. You have to be aware of it and be smart.”
With the Mocs’ first day of fall practice scheduled for August 4th, Barger isn’t the only member of the athletic department paying attention to another strain of COVID. Head football coach Rusty Wright has been monitoring it also.