COVID-19: Seven players, club staff found positive in latest English Premier League safety checks

London: The Premier League has confirmed that between December 14 and December 20, over 1,500 players and club staff were tested for COVID-19, of which, there were seven new positive tests.

“Players or club staff who have tested positive will self-isolate for a period of 10 days,” said Premier League in an official statement.

They added that they are providing this ‘aggregated information’ for the purposes of competition ‘integrity and transparency’.

However, no specific details as to clubs or individuals were provided by the League and results will be made public after each round of testing. 

Previous test results so far:

Round 1: 31 Aug-6 Sep – 1,605 tested, with three testing positive.

Round 2: 7-13 Sep – 2,131 tested, with four testing positive.

Round 3: 14-20 Sep – 1,574 tested, with three testing positive.

Round 4: 21-27 Sep – 1,595 tested, with 10 testing positive.

Round 5: 28 Sep-4 Oct – 1,587 tested, with nine testing positive. 

Round 6: 5-11 Oct – 1,128 tested, with five testing positive.

Round 7: 12-18 Oct – 1,575 tested, with eight testing positive.

Round 8: 19-25 Oct – 1,609 tested, with two testing positive.

Round 9: 26 Oct-1 Nov – 1,446 tested, with four testing positive.

Round 10: 2-8 Nov – 1,646 tested, with four testing positive.

Round 11: 9-15 Nov – 1,207 tested, with 16 testing positive.

Round 12: 16-22 Nov – 1,530 tested, with eight testing positive.

Round 13: 23-29 Nov – 1,381 tested, with 10 testing positive.

Round 14: 30 Nov-6 Dec – 1,483 tested, with 14 testing positive.

Round 15: 7-13 Dec – 1,549 tested, with 6 testing positive.

The news comes when a new variant of COVID-19 has been detected in the United Kingdom (UK), that has resulted in several countries closing their borders and suspending their flights, besides other restrictions.

According to Public Health England (PHE), the new strain transmits more easily than the previous variant but there is no evidence that it is more likely to cause severe disease or mortality.

As of December 21, the vast majority of cases identified are in London, the South East and the East of England.