Jan 21, 2022 - Sports

Team USA 100% vaccinated against COVID ahead of Beijing Olympics

Axios

Winter Olympics-themed Chinese knot is seen at Tian'anmen Square on a snowy day on January 20, 2022 in Beijing, China — A Winter Olympics display in Tian'anmen Square, Beijing, China, on Thursday. Photo: VCG/VCG via Getty Images

All of the roughly 240 American athletes going to next month's Beijing Winter Olympic Games have been fully vaccinated against COVID-19, Team USA's top doctor told AP on Thursday.

The big picture: There was no vaccine requirement for American Olympians at last year's Summer Games in Tokyo, and about 100 of the 613 Team USA athletes competing in the event were unvaccinated.

The U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee changed its policy in September to require all employees, athletes and contractors be vaccinated against the coronavirus.

What they're saying: Jonathan Finnoff, chief medical officer of the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee, told AP a combination of education from the governing body and the 21-day quarantine requirement for unvaccinated participants in Beijing "really resonated with the athletes."

"Vaccination is sort of the foundation of our COVID mitigation protocol," Finnoff, added.

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Team USA 100% vaccinated against COVID ahead of Beijing Olympics

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