Report: WFT’s Covid vaccination rate rising rapidly originally appeared on NBC Sports Washington
Head coach Ron Rivera’s hope that more of his players get vaccinated is coming to fruition.
According to what a source told USA TODAY’s Mike Jones, 84 percent of Washington’s roster has received at least one COVID-19 vaccination shot. That’s a significant increase from the beginning of training camp last week when Washington had one of the league’s lowest vaccination rates, hovering around 60 percent.
The news comes a week after Rivera first voiced his frustration to reporters about the team’s low vaccination rate.
“I’m truly frustrated. I’m beyond frustrated,” Rivera said last Tuesday. “Part of the reason I walk in with a mask on is I’m immune-deficient. I just hope that our guys can understand that.”
Rivera spent much of the 2020 season battling cancer and undergoing chemotherapy following being diagnosed with squamous cell carcinoma last August. He received the vaccine when he was eligible to receive it earlier this year.
Washington has placed seven different players on the reserve/COVID-19 list so far, including major contributors Brandon Scherff, Daron Payne, Matt Ioannidis Cornelius Lucas and Curtis Samuel (Lucas has since returned).
For Washington’s players, getting the vaccine or not has been a hot topic throughout the beginning of camp, especially with numerous players getting placed on the reserve/COVID-19 list.
Ryan Fitzpatrick and Jonathan Allen — who both said they are vaccinated — said that the decision to get the shot is “personal” and they would not hold a grudge against their teammates who choose not to get the vaccine. Chase Young and Landon Collins — who did not share their vaccine status — called it a “personal decision” as well.
Receiver Terry McLaurin told JP Finlay earlier this week that those who choose not to get the vaccine must be extra careful following the protocols in order to keep themselves available.
“If you don’t decide to get the vaccine, then you’ve got to make sure you’re doing whatever you can to protect yourself and to protect all of us, because we’re all in this together,” McLaurin said. “This could really affect the season that we have ahead.”
This past Sunday, a player’s off day in between returning to Ashburn from Richmond, Washington held a vaccination event, giving all of its unvaccinated players the opportunity to get the shot.
On Monday, Rivera said he was pleased with the turnout.
“It was a good step in the right direction and we’re continuing to trend up,” Rivera said.
