Rochelle Walensky, director of the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention."We know that these increases are due, in part, to more highly transmissible variants, which we are very closely monitoring," Walensky said Monday at the White House COVID-19 Response Team briefing.The virus was linked to high school wrestling tournaments in Florida last December where 38 people tested positive, according to a CDC report published in January.In Minnesota, the B.1.1.7 variant of SARS-CoV-2 spread through Carver County with at least 68 cases linked to youth sport activities including hockey, wrestling and basketball, according to the Minnesota Department of Health.This variant of the novel coronavirus, originally found in the United Kingdom, is about 50% more transmissible than other strands of the virus in the US, researchers reported in the journal Cell in March.The CDC recommends children limit youth sport participation and follow specific guidelines when engaging in those types of activities.
The organization listed nearly a dozen different recommendations, including minimizing the time spent indoors and reducing the amount of time players spend in close contact with each other.
Dr.
Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, warned about the spread of Covid-19 among children who participate in youth sports.