Doctor Is In by Dr. Adil Manzoor OP/ED
The Summer Olympics is hands-down the biggest sporting event in history. Talk about the intrigue, the diversity, the rich history; there’s no other sporting event that can match it. Over the years, it has even moved away from being just a sporting event to being a kind of global tradition.
Unfortunately, there was a hitch last year when the Olympics had to be postponed because of the coronavirus pandemic. This, of course, was painful to the thousands of participants and millions of viewers, but it is something that had to be done. I get the history of the sports, but as a medical practitioner, it’s health over any other thing.
Now, fast forward a year later, and the games are going on as planned in Tokyo. Is that a hooray for me? Nah. I mean, the games will be fun and are always something to look forward to, but the safety assurance leaves much to be desired.
For one, Japan is still lagging in vaccinations. Of the fifty richest countries in the world, Japan has one of the lowest vaccination rates. Right now, only about 14% of the population has been fully vaccinated, and about 25% have received at least a dose. This is poor. Very poor, in fact, considering Japan is one of the more technologically advanced and enlightened countries.
As if that were not bad enough, Japan went through its fourth spike in cases back in May. There’s a 7-day average of about 1,600 as I write. I hate to be that guy, but all of these don’t make the Olympics going on in Japan seem like the smartest idea.
I’m not against the Olympics at all; I’m just all for it being done safely. Of course, the IOC, the governing Olympics board, has put forth several rules to guide athletes and spectators about how to comport themselves during the games. There’s one where spectators can’t even cheer or shout during the games. That’s kind of funny.
It makes sense that there are steps to limit the spread of the virus, but will it be nearly enough? Consider this – 90,000 athletes from all over the world in one big village for about a month, in a country where less than 14% of the population is fully vaccinated. The coronavirus is probably jumping for joy as we speak.
Another issue is the fact that people may come with more resistant and infectious strains of the virus. There’s no way you can assure me that every single one of the 90,000 athletes and more than 110,000 volunteers will be COVID-free. And because of the different locations involved, they may end up bringing new strains to Japan. And this also means some athletes may take these strains back to their respective countries. I sound like a pessimist, I know. But we have to anticipate the worst.
While the coronavirus is definitely at the top of the list, one must not neglect the other diseases that may be transmitted in the games.
I hope it works out for good, and there is no outbreak at the end of the games. My hopes are not too high, though.
Stay safe. Get vaccinated.
This article was written by Dr. Adil Manzoor DO, a Board Certified Internist & Board Eligible Pediatrician, who works as a Hospitalist, and Emergency Room Physician. He is also the current President of Garden State Street Medicine, a non-profit organization whose sole purpose is to provide free preventive and acute urgent care services for the homeless. He is also the co-founder of his own unique medical practice Mobile Medicine NJ.
References
· https://theconversation.com/amp/condoms-vaccines-and-sport-how-the-tokyo-olympics-is-sending-mixed-messages-about-covid-19-safety-163361
· https://www.mja.com.au/journal/2021/covid-safe-tokyo-olympics-and-paralympics-really-possible
· https://amp.usatoday.com/amp/7472799002
