S’pore Football Player Tested Positive for COVID-19

With the sheer number of new COVID-19 cases reported every day, the virus is bound to spread to all regions of the country, to people from all walks of life.

Hawkers, bus interchange staff, and satay lovers have all gotten infected with this much-detested virus.

Now, the coronavirus has spread to a sportsman.

S’pore Football Player Tested Positive for COVID-19

An unnamed Balestier Khalsa footballer has tested positive for COVID-19.

According to the Singapore Premier League (SPL), the player will be placed in a quarantine facility.

Just like professionals in other fields, all SPL players and club officials have to undergo weekly pooled swab tests.

Once his infection was detected, the league suspended Balestier Khalsa’s next two fixtures, which are against Hougang United and Geylang International. They will be rescheduled to later dates.

Training has been suspended for the next 10 days as well, and the rest of the squad are self-isolating.

In a post on Facebook, the club said it has worked closely with the Football Association of Singapore to ensure the health of its players and staff is protected at all times.

“We will continue to do so by deep cleansing of our club premises and lay out a series of testing to ensure the rest of the club is COVID free,” it said.

Venue operators at Toa Payoh Stadium and Jalan Besar Stadium have also been notified of the positive case so deep cleaning can begin.

Second SPL Player to Test Positive This Week

The Balestier Khalsa player is the second SPL player to test positive for COVID-19 this week.

Another infected player, from Geylang International, was detected through the same mandatory weekly pooled testing.

Similar precautions were taken, with the rest of the squad isolating, training sessions suspended, and fixtures postponed.

COVID-19 Can Be Debilitating Even For Incredibly Fit Athletes 

There’s a misconception that if someone is young and healthy, especially an athlete, they’re immune to the harsher effects of the coronavirus.

But as we’ve seen with the infection of Manchester United’s Paul Pogba, this isn’t the case.

Late last year, Pogba tested positive for COVID-19, putting him on the sidelines for several matches.

And even when he recovered, things weren’t the same.

“Even in training, I would say to the fitness coach that I feel strange. It’s not me. I get tired very fast and I’m out of breath really fast,” he said in an interview with MUTV.

“The first game of the season, I couldn’t run. I was trying. I spoke with the manager, ‘I will start the game and let’s see’, but I was very out of breath and it took me a long time to get back to my fitness and to get back physically good.”

Fortunately, more of us are vaccinated now, meaning we’ll likely be spared from the more severe symptoms of COVID-19 if we get infected.

Let’s hope that our vaccination rate keeps on climbing.

Understand the importance of vaccination here:

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Featured Image: Facebook (Balestier Khalsa Football Club)