Updated NFHS Guidelines for High School Athlete's with Prior COVID-19 Infection

“INDIANAPOLIS, IN (August 20, 2021) — An expert medical task force appointed by the National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS) and the American Medical Society for Sports Medicine (AMSSM) reconvened this summer to update guidance from last summer for assessing – before sports participation – potential cardiac issues in high school student-athletes with prior COVID- 19 infection.”

Please click the link below to review the updated guidance for high school athlete’s regarding prior COVID-19 infections and return to play.

Updated Guidance on PPE & COVID-19

In early August the following statement was released through the White House regarding Pre-Participation Exams during the COVID-19 Pandemic. “The American Medical Society for Sports Medicine (AMSSM) convened an expert panel to 35 address the current evidence, knowledge gaps, and recommendations surrounding the COVID vaccination in athletes during the SARS-CoV2 pandemic. The group held a series of meetings beginning in July 2021 and reviewed the available literature while using an iterative process and expert consensus to finalize this Guidance Statement.” The guidance statement that was issued is intended to help provide clinicians with information on how to have conversations regarding COVID-19 or how to incorporate conversations regarding vaccinations into the Pre-Participation Physical Exams. The guidance statement in its’ entirety can be found by clicking the button below.

A number of organizations including the NATA, NFHS, and NCAA have supported the above statement. A complete list of organizations can be found below.

With the new forms, it is important to note that if an athlete has already submitted a physical for the upcoming 2021-2022 school year, it is not necessary for them to submit a new physical on the updated form. The new updated forms contain questions in the history portion that are specific to COVID-19 and a question on the physical exam regarding immunization. The forms can be accessed by clicking the buttons below.

COVID-19: Updates & Return to Play

Different counties in different parts of the state are choosing the manage athletics and COVID-19 differently. At this time, decisions about athletics should be left up to the county’s health department and school administrations. As of August 28th, 2020, Governor Bill Lee has extended the Executive Order through September 30th (read article here). The CDC has updated their testing guidelines as of August 24th. For more information regarding the CDC’s recommendations on COVID-19, please visit the link below.

CDC COVID-19 Homepage

With some of the cardiac complications that can be associated with COVID-19, precautions should be taken as an athlete returns to sport. Below are some articles that give general guidelines to consider.

NFHS-AMSSM Guidance Statement

TSSAA Return to Play Guidelines

NCAA Resocialization Guidelines