The Pittsburgh Steelers may have some competition in the race to have the most players vaccinated against COVID-19 before training camp sessions open later this month.
Mike Klis of Denver's 9News tweeted Friday that nearly 95% of players on the Denver Broncos have received at least one COVID-19 vaccine shot or are considered fully vaccinated. To compare, NFL Network's Tom Pelissero updated a previous report Wednesday and explained 69% of that league's players had received at least one shot:
Update: A sixth NFL team went over the 85% threshold today, I’m told. Leaguewide vaccination rate is now over 69%. Important checkpoint Monday, by which a person would need to get 2nd shot (or 1-shot J&J) to be considered fully vaxxed when most teams report to camp July 27. https://t.co/dB11JHE2s5
— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) July 8, 2021
Additionally, the entire Denver coaching staff is reportedly "on path to full vaccination."
The NFL and NFL Players Association have made it clear no player can be cut just for staying unvaccinated, but those who won't get jabbed will have to follow similar health and safety protocols used last season and could miss time this fall simply for being exposed to an infected person.
On June 24, The Athletic's Ed Bouchette noted that over 85% of Steelers players were considered fully vaccinated against the coronavirus at that time. According to Pelissero, six total teams have reached the 85% vaccination threshold among players that allows for the loosening of coronavirus-related guidelines
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