Figure. The comparison of the proportions of athletes who lost training days due to COVID19 or vaccination. The curves present the percentage of athletes who lost a specific number of training days.
A recent study from the Polish Academy of Sciences looked at the number of training days lost due to COVID-19 and vaccination against COVID-19 in elite athletes. The retrospective survey of 1,073 elite athletes found that
- Absence in sport resulting from COVID-19 is unpredictable in time and considerably higher than after other respiratory diseases.
- Vaccination against COVID-19 causes significantly smaller loss, moreover, the date of vaccination can be planned at a convenient time or even off-season, additionally limiting the loss.
- The prevention policy for athletes should include vaccination whenever available, as the benefit-loss ratio strongly favors vaccination.
Source: Krzywański J, Mikulski T, Krysztofiak H, et al. Vaccine versus infection – COVID-19-related loss of training time in elite athletes. J Sci Med Sport. 2022: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jsams.2022.10.004
