The NBA and NBPA recently agreed to altered protocols that could allow certain fully vaccinated and asymptomatic players to return off the COVID-19 list faster than before depending on their cycle threshold levels. Stephen Lew-USA TODAY Sports

70% of eligible NBA players have received COVID-19 vaccine boosters?

It was back in late November when a report said the NBA and National Basketball Players Association were recommending that players and other league personnel receive COVID-19 booster shots by Dec. 1, before the highly contagious Omicron variant swept through sports leagues around the world. 

ESPN's Baxter Holmes reported early Friday evening that sources say 70% of eligible NBA players, or roughly 350 athletes, have received booster shots. Players were previously considered eligible for boosters at least two months after receiving the single-dose Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine, and at least six months after getting the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines. 

According to The Associated Press (h/t KRQE), the Food and Drug Administration has since shortened booster timelines to five months rather than six for the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines.

Additionally, ESPN reports 100% of the league's current COVID-19 cases can be linked to the Omicron variant. 

Per ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski, non-boosted players must undergo daily COVID-19 testing through at least the All-Star break next month. Those individuals also face stricter guidelines related to attending indoor social events at public or private establishments. 

The NBA and NBPA recently agreed to altered protocols that could allow certain fully vaccinated and asymptomatic players to return off the COVID-19 list faster than before depending on their cycle threshold levels. Ideally, such rules coupled with incentivizing receiving booster shots will help the NBA avoid postponing handfuls of games because of COVID-19 outbreaks among squads through the season's second half. 

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