Jan 21, 2022 - Sports

Team USA 100% vaccinated against COVID ahead of Beijing Olympics

 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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