The Vikings appear to be in the clear after 12 team members – eight players, one coach and three staff members – received false-positive COVID-19 test results over the weekend.
According to NFL Network, there were 77 individuals from the NFL, including the 12 members of the Vikings, who originally tested positive. But a re-test on Sunday night showed that all 77 were negative.
“All 77 individuals also underwent additional point-of-care tests. Each came back negative as well,” the report from NFL Network says.
The tests were analyzed by BioReference Laboratories, which in a statement to the NFL said the false-positives were “caused by an isolated contamination during test preparation in the New Jersey laboratory. Reagents, analyzers and staff were all ruled out as possible causes and subsequent testing has indicated that the issue has been resolved. All individuals impacted have been confirmed negative and informed.”
Other teams impacted by the tests include the Chicago Bears, Cleveland Browns, Green Bay Packers, New York Giants, New York Jets, and Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Unlike Major League Baseball, which has seen several team outbreaks throughout its 2020 season, the NFL had avoided such issues in the early weeks of training camp with just 0.46% of all tests resulting in a positive result last week.
Under the NFL guidelines, the Vikings are not obliged to identify which players have tested positive for COVID-19. However, the pool report from the Vikings on Sunday shows that there were eight players absent from practice: linebacker Eric Kendricks, defensive ends Jalyn Holmes and Kenny Willekes, fullback C.J. Ham, wide receivers Dillon Mitchell and Alexander Hollins, tight end Nakia Griffin-Stewart and tackle Ezra Cleveland.
Minnesota is preparing to open the regular season at U.S. Bank Stadium – likely without fans – on Sunday, Sept. 13 against the Green Bay Packers.
