First Athlete COVID Positives in Olympic Village 5 Days From Opening Ceremony

A day after Olympic organizers confirmed the first non-athlete case of COVID-19 in the Olympic village, the first athletes have tested positive five days before the opening ceremony of the Tokyo Olympics.

The non-athlete, a video analyst, was a member of the South African Football Association, along with the two athlete cases: South African soccer players defender Thabiso Monyane and midfielder Kamohelo Mahlatsi. South Africa is set to play Japan in its first game of the men’s soccer competition on Thursday, July 22, at the Tokyo Stadium.

Olympic organizers also said Sunday that a non-Japanese athlete, who is not residing in the Olympic village, and the first International Olympic Committee (IOC) member, 2004 South Korean Olympic table tennis champion Ryu Seung-min, received positive COVID-19 tests. Seung-min was asymptomatic when tested, yet remains in isolation.

Since July 1st, Olympic organizers admit a total of 55 people linked to the Olympics have reported positive, not including athletes or others under the IOC jurisdiction. However, on Sunday, Tokyo reported 1,008 new COVID-19 cases, the 29th day in a row that the new cases number was higher than the previous week and fifth consecutive day with more than 1,000 reported cases.

The Olympic Village is set to house 11,000 Olympic athletes as well as an additional thousands of support staff in Tokyo Bay. Upon arrival to the Olympic village, all athletes had access to a COVID-19 vaccination, including against the newly-spawned variant.

The official opening ceremony for the Tokyo Olympics will begin on Friday July 23. The ceremony will also open while Tokyo and three surrounding prefectures are under a state of emergency, which went into order on July 12 and will last until August 22. The official closing ceremony is set for August 8. The Olympics this summer will also be held with no spectators, both local and international.

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chowza
2 years ago

Expect almost daily reports of COVID-positive cases from now on. This is going to become the non-Olympic Olympics (might have turned out better for all if it had been postponed until 2022).

Smith-King-Huske-Manuel
2 years ago
rsgnsf
Reply to  Smith-King-Huske-Manuel
2 years ago

I’ll just say this: the Olympics is not the place to test out whether your ‘natural’ immunity works better than the vaccination. One unknowingly-positive-testing athlete in the warmup pool can basically put a halt to whatever percent of the competition community was in the pool at the same time. Like, the whole men’s 100 breaststroke continengent, or the whole 200 IM contingent cancelled to 14-day quarantines.

The selfishness, ignorance and narcissism is just staggering. No one should be allowed anywhere near the pool if they haven’t been vaccinated. I’m surprised the US Men’s Team, much less the IOC, is allowing it.

Last edited 2 years ago by rsgnsf
DrSwimPhil
Reply to  rsgnsf
2 years ago

The odds of re-infection are roughly the same as the odds of vaccine breakthrough infections. There’s enough out there showing that now.

Virtually everyone at the pool (or staying in the Olympic Village) are on an even playing field for this risk, assuming they had either natural immunity or vaccination. Now those without either, sure, one can make a good argument re: rolling the dice.

Also, as of now (see the South African soccer players currently), vaccination status is NOT factored into the contact tracing protocols.

Ol' Longhorn
Reply to  rsgnsf
2 years ago

That first line of yours should be framed.

Li Shu
Reply to  rsgnsf
2 years ago
SUNY Cal
2 years ago

Michael Andrew may wish he had gotten vaccinated after seeing all these positive Covid cases happening to athletes now….

Sophie
Reply to  SUNY Cal
2 years ago

While I agree that Michael Andrew should have gotten vaccinated, to be fair, the US still has far more Covid cases than Japan.

Hmm
Reply to  SUNY Cal
2 years ago

He contradicted the virus and got over it naturally. He still has the antibodies, aka a natural protection which is inherently better than artificial protection, the vaccine, when protecting against viral infections.

Admin
Reply to  Hmm
2 years ago

According to doctors and scientists, vaccines provide broader immunity than natural immunity when variants come into play. Natural immunity is good at protecting you against the same version of COVID that you had, but less good than a vaccine at protecting you against variants because it is such a targeted immune response.

https://www.9news.com/article/news/local/next/vaccine-natural-immunity-after-covid-whats-more-effectiv-denver-colorado/73-2ab4633c-7189-4861-9560-05886e540903

You Don’t Say
Reply to  Braden Keith
2 years ago

And what are the details of the set-up and interaction etc. that Team USA are experiencing at their camp which is outside the Olympic village that your Swimswam professional journalists are surely investigating?

DrSwimPhil
Reply to  Braden Keith
2 years ago

I posted a bunch of links to some studies (some peer-reviewed, some going through the process, and a couple other write-ups….so, some doctors/scientists, too?) saying Michael Andrew has virtually the same probability (and possibly even better odds of it not happening) of re-infection as those whom have been vaccinated.

https://swimswam.com/michael-andrew-opens-up-about-decision-not-to-receive-covid-vaccine/#comment-942109

DrSwimPhil
Reply to  Braden Keith
2 years ago

Also, not sure your last line is correct. Here’s a Cell paper basically saying “eh…maybe not”.

Landscape of epitopes targeted by T cells in 852 individuals recovered from COVID-19: Meta-analysis, immunoprevalence, and web platform: Cell Reports Medicine

“This indicates that ∼80% of the immunoprevalent epitopes lie in proteins other than S…”

The vaccines are ONLY S-protein based….if the S-protein undergoes mutation, then….

Doconc
Reply to  Braden Keith
2 years ago

Others say natural immunity may last much longer

Li Shu
Reply to  Braden Keith
2 years ago

Per reviewed study not some random doctor saying stuff to the news: https://www.medrxiv.org/content/10.1101/2021.07.03.21259976v2

The media published doctors were wrong about asymptomatic transmission (https://wwwnc.cdc.gov/eid/article/27/4/20-4576_article), they’re probably wrong about the vaccine being better. Plus, most doctors don’t even agree on this stuff, I have friends and family who are doctors and none of them agree. Data > doctors opinions. Especially when the main stream media is the filter for good and bad doctors.

TamTam
Reply to  Braden Keith
2 years ago
SwimDad4Life
Reply to  Hmm
2 years ago

This is absolute rubbish. You lose those antibodies at 3 months or less. Only the vaccine will protect you. Stop posting this crap.

Vax-jack
Reply to  SwimDad4Life
2 years ago

That’s false sir. I was infected in October and as of 2 weeks ago tested positive for quantitative antibodies at a level over 200. Go back to CNN and liberal media

Anonymoose
Reply to  Vax-jack
2 years ago

wow and you’re a whole sample size of 1! astounding research on your part, thank you for your effort <3

Li Shu
Reply to  SwimDad4Life
2 years ago

There’s literally no research that says this. Find it, I dare you. They made it up, just like the 6 ft social distancing thing.

Vax-jack
Reply to  SUNY Cal
2 years ago

If he has antibodies and at a high level why would he? Everyone is vax vax vax but until someone can state how the vaccine is any more effective then the natural immunity what’s the point. If your natural immunity is still at a decent level there is no difference and yet no one wants to bring that up. If he didn’t have Covid then it may be a different story.

Ol' Longhorn
Reply to  Vax-jack
2 years ago

You’re probably not going to read this blockbuster report in Nature a couple of weeks ago then https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-021-24435-8. Therefore, although the human immune system can produce antibodies that target diverse RBD epitopes, in practice the polyclonal response to infection is skewed towards a single class of antibodies targeting an epitope that is already undergoing rapid evolution.”

realist
Reply to  Ol' Longhorn
2 years ago

Seriously? Nature.com? At least use something credible!

Canadian Swammer
Reply to  realist
2 years ago

These comment threads vary so wildly from cold takes to /s that I am not sure if I am the boomer or zoomer here.

Not Tapered 🏊
Reply to  Ol' Longhorn
2 years ago

Since we are referring to Nature.com
Had COVID? You’ll probably make antibodies for a lifetime

https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-021-01442-9

Ol' Longhorn
Reply to  Not Tapered 🏊
2 years ago

Which is great for that epitope. They won’t do squat against an epitope that’s mutated, hence the at least short-term (as in during an f’in pandemic) benefit of the vaccines.

Li Shu
Reply to  Ol' Longhorn
2 years ago

Report blah blah. Anyone can write those, show me some pier reviewed science from a credible journal. Oh wait… https://www.medrxiv.org/content/10.1101/2021.07.03.21259976v2

Stephen
2 years ago

Coco has COVID

He said what?
2 years ago

I look at the Tokyo photograph and the first thought was, Godzilla. Sorry, had to say it.

Covidman
2 years ago

Scawwwy Virwus! Oh no

Anonymoose
Reply to  Covidman
2 years ago

whats the r doing in there.. amateur

Eagleswim
2 years ago

Can you elaborate? Are you implying there have been prior cases?

rsgnsf
2 years ago

Just waiting for MA to test ++. Now that’ll stir the pot.

Caeleb’s left suit string
Reply to  rsgnsf
2 years ago

He’s prolly still got antibodies

Troyy
Reply to  Caeleb’s left suit string
2 years ago

Can still test positive.

Not Tapered 🏊
Reply to  Troyy
2 years ago

So could someone who is vaccinated

Li Shu
Reply to  Troyy
2 years ago

Recently published findings show no difference in positive test results from vaccinated individuals and individuals who already had covid. There’s literally no point in him getting the vaccine.

Covidman
Reply to  rsgnsf
2 years ago

Wow

Nugget
Reply to  rsgnsf
2 years ago

Then watch Dressel/Ledecky lose out on a few gold medals because they have to go into COVID protocol after being exposed to him.

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Nick has had the passion for swimming since his first dive in the water in middle school, immediately falling for breaststroke. Nick had expanded to IM events in his late teens, helping foster a short, but memorable NCAA Div III swim experience at Calvin University. While working on his B.A. …

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