NCAA Senior Vice President of Basketball Dan Gavitt told NCAA.com that the tournament was slated to go on in the normal format and there has been no discussion of playing in a bubble like last season.
The warnings came shortly before the Indiana State Department of Health issued its latest COVID report, which showed 7,967 new cases of the virus—the highest number of cases in the daily report in more than a year.
The fast-spreading mutant version of the virus has cast a pall over Christmas and New Year’s, forcing communities to scale back or call off their festivities just weeks after it seemed as if Americans were about to enjoy an almost normal holiday season.
The volley of warnings serves as yet another reminder that the pandemic is far from over, with the omicron variant spurring a familiar pattern of cautions and cancellations during a time when many hoped to reclaim a sense of normalcy.
The reduction in isolation time could allow Colts quarterback Carson Wentz to return for Sunday’s key game against Las Vegas after Indianapolis placed him on the reserve/COVID-19 list.
The state reported 3,058 hospitalizations on Monday, up from 2,982 the previous day. COVID patients occupy 38.7% of Indiana’s intensive care unit beds.
The national spike in COVID-19 cases imperils hundreds of millions of dollars in college football playoff advertising for Walt Disney Co.’s ESPN sports network because of the growing risk games might be canceled, Bloomberg Intelligence estimated in a note Tuesday.
The timing couldn’t be worse for the Colts, who have rebounded from a 1-4 start to win eight of their past 10 games. They can clinch one of the seven AFC playoff spots with a win over the Raiders.
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services cited new data that shows the therapies are unlikely to be effective against the Omicron variant.
COVID-19 patients occupy 38.2% of Indiana’s intensive care unit beds, according to the latest report from the Indiana State Department of Health.
In CDC figures released Monday, states with high flu activity are Indiana, New Mexico, Kansas, New Jersey, Tennessee, Georgia and North Dakota.
U.S. health officials on Monday cut isolation recommendations for Americans who catch the coronavirus from 10 to five days, and similarly shortened the time that close contacts need to quarantine.
The Biden administration has thus far balked at imposing a vaccination requirement for domestic air travel. Two officials said Biden’s science advisers have yet to make a formal recommendation for such a requirement to the president.
The Biden administration, which last week announced a plan to offer 500 million at-home tests to Americans sometime next month, has faced criticism in recent days over its failure to prepare an adequate supply of tests.
The challenge for possible users is getting tested, getting a prescription and starting the pills in a short window.
Airlines have canceled roughly 4,000 flights to, from or inside the U.S. since Friday. Delta, United, JetBlue and American have all said that the coronavirus was causing staffing problems.
The Fenway Bowl and Military Bowl were both canceled due to the pandemic on Sunday, and the University of Miami withdrew from the Sun Bowl.
Globally, airlines scrapped more than 2,700 flights as of Sunday evening, nearing the more than 2,800 cancellations the day before.
The state’s largest hospital system said Thursday it has resorted to turning conference rooms into patient wards as it adds hundreds of beds across its 16 hospitals.
Medical personnel from the Navy team will include physicians, nurses and respiratory therapists. The move comes at the request of the Federal Emergency Management Agency as Indiana hospitals warn they’re reaching capacity.
