Returning to sports after infection
Children and teens with symptoms of COVID-19 should not attend practices or competition. They should consult their physician for testing and notify their coach, athletic trainer and/or school administrator of their symptoms.
Youth recovering from COVID-19 will have different paths to return to sports based on the severity of their illness. Those who are asymptomatic or have mild symptoms should not exercise until cleared by a physician. See the American Academy of Pediatrics Interim Guidance on Return to Sports for additional guidance of more serious infections.
Please read the newly passed AB856 COVID 19 Bill
COVID-19 is a virus that affects the respiratory system and may also affect the heart in some individuals. Viral symptoms can range from mild (to no symptoms) to severe illness. Student-Athletes with symptoms of COVID-19 should not attend practices or competition. They should consult their physician for testing and notify their Athletic Trainer, Coach and/or School Administrator of their symptoms.
Student-Athletes recovering from COVID-19 will have different paths to return to sport based on the severity of their illness. Those who are asymptomatic or have mild symptoms should not begin a gradual return to play process until cleared by a physician/licensed medical practitioner skilled in the evaluation and screening of youth heart conditions related to viral exposure.
Individuals with more severe COVID-19 illness seem to be more likely to have heart involvement such as inflammation of the heart muscle and/or multisystem inflammatory syndrome (MIS-Children).
Severity Grading
|
Asymptomatic |
Mild (usually ≤ 3 days) |
Moderate |
Severe |
(+) COVID test, no symptoms |
Loss of taste/smell (can last up to weeks/months) Residual dry cough (can last up to weeks) Sore throat Congestion Nausea/vomiting Abdominal pain Diarrhea Fatigue Headache Fever +/- chills |
Cardiopulmonary Symptoms - Shortness of breath - Chest pain/pressure/tightness - Palpitations - Fainting
Central Nervous System - Prolonged headache Systemic Symptoms - Prolonged fever +/- chills (> 3 days) - Prolonged fatigue (> 3 days) |
Any Hospitalization New or recurrent symptoms concerning MIS-C - Fever - Rash - Abdominal pain - Vomiting - Diarrhea - Lethargy - Conjunctivitis Possible to appear weeks after infection without previously known infection |
Evaluation
|
Asymptomatic |
Symptomatic (Mild-Moderate) |
Severe Illness |
|
Requires medical clearance to begin GRTP No additional testing necessary |
Needs medical evaluation and clearance to begin GRTP Strongly encourage cardiac testing (e.g., ECG, troponin, echocardiogram) for moderate illness, including the following symptoms and referral to Cardiology for abnormalities: - Fever > 3 days - Cardiopulmonary symptoms - Hypoxia (O2 at <95%) - Prolonged symptoms (other than loss of taste/smell, dry cough) |
* Any Hospitalization * Concern for MIS-C Needs medical evaluation and clearance to begin GRTP Recommended cardiology consultation (if not during hospitalization) Needs cardiac testing (e.g., ECG, troponin, echocardiogram, at minimum) |
Gradual Return-To-Play Protocol
A GRTP can begin once an athlete has been cleared by a physician/licensed medical practitioner (possible Cardiologist for moderate to severe COVID-19 symptoms) and is asymptomatic when performing normal activities of daily living. The progression should be performed over the course of a 7-day minimum, without the development of above listed symptoms. If fatigue develops, the student-athlete should repeat the previous day and if they remain asymptomatic, they can continue to go through the stages
|
Stage 1 |
Day 1 & 2 |
20 mins or less of light activity, no resistance training |
|
Stage 2 |
Day 3 |
30 mins or less of light/moderate activity, body-weight resistance |
|
Stage 3 |
Day 4 |
45 mins or less of strenuous activity, 50% max resistance |
|
Stage 4 |
Day 5 & 6 |
60 mins or less of strenuous/sport-specific activity (no scrimmaging), no weight training restrictions |
|
Stage 5 |
Day 7 & 8 |
Full activity, competition |
https://cifstate.org/covid-19/Resources/CIF_COVID_GRTP.pdf