Milwaukee Bucks shooting guard Khris Middleton has COVID-19.
The two-time all-star entered the NBA’s health and safety protocol Monday. The coach announced he had tested positive for the virus Tuesday.
The Milwaukee Journal chronicled what it will take for a player to return after testing positive:
Positive test
If a player tests positive for COVID-19 they must remain in isolation until one of two things happen:
- Ten days must pass since the first positive or inconclusive test, or symptom onset, at least 24 hours must have passed since a fever broke (without the use of fever-reducing medication), other symptoms have improved and if the cycle threshold (CT) of the virus is greater than 30.
- The player must return at least two negative PCR test results from samples collected at least 24 hours after the prior sample.
Return to activity
Once a team and league physician clears the player from isolation and to return to activity, there are steps to take before they may do so depending on their symptoms.
Moderate or severe symptoms
- A cardiac screening is required.
- A player must rest and cannot exercise for at least 10 days from the first onset of symptoms.
Mild symptoms
A player must rest and cannot exercise for at least seven days from the first onset of symptoms. He can resume individual workouts in isolation on the eighth day following symptom onset.
No symptoms
A player who tested positive but who does not experience any symptoms must rest and cannot exercise for at least three days. He can resume induvial workouts in isolation on the fourth day following the first positive test.
Return to competition
There is another set of protocols to follow before the player can return to playing in games.
Severe symptoms
A player must be observed for a minimum of 72 hours before being cleared to return to competition by the team’s consulting cardiologist.
Moderate symptoms
A player must be observed for a minimum of 48 hours before being cleared to return to competition by the team’s consulting cardiologist.
No or mild symptoms
A player can return to competition once the player is cleared from isolation by a team and league doctor.
What is a close contact?
Per the Centers for Disease Control, a close contact is initially defined as a person who has been within 6 feet of an infected person for a cumulative total of 15 minutes or more over a 24-hour period, either consecutively or in separate time blocks, beginning 48 hours before symptom onset or a positive test.
The “lookback”
In the NBA, a designated staffer will consult with either the team doctor, an infectious disease specialist and/or the league to determine the relevant time period to look back over when the person was potentially infectious. The team can determine this on a case-by-case basis, but it is generally expected to be 48 hours before the onset of symptoms or a positive test.
In the case of the Bucks, Middleton was ruled out by the team for an illness before the game against Utah on Sunday. They played the San Antonio Spurs on Oct. 30 and Middleton played just over 33 minutes. The team practiced at the Sports Science Center on Oct. 29. Video from the practice and game will also be reviewed for close contacts.
TOP PHOTO: FILE – Milwaukee Bucks forward Khris Middleton celebrates with teammate forward Giannis Antetokounmpo, right, at the end of Game 4 against the Phoenix Suns in basketball’s NBA Finals Wednesday, July 14, 2021, in Milwaukee. (AP Photo/Aaron Gash)