Skip to content

Republish This Story

* Please read before republishing *

We’re happy to make this story available to republish for free under an Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives Creative Commons license as long as you follow our republishing guidelines, which require that you credit The 19th and retain our pixel. See our full guidelines for more information.

To republish, simply copy the HTML at right, which includes our tracking pixel, all paragraph styles and hyperlinks, the author byline and credit to The 19th. Have questions? Please email [email protected].

— The Editors

Loading...

Modal Gallery

/

Menu

  • Our Mission
  • Our Team
  • Latest Stories
  • Upcoming Events
  • Contact Us
  • Newsletter
  • Donate
  • Work With Us
  • Fellowships
    • From the Collection

      Changing Child Care

      Illustration of a woman feeding a baby a bottle
      • As climate change worsens hurricane season in Louisiana, doulas are ensuring parents can safely feed their babies

        Jessica Kutz · May 5
      • Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito argued abortion isn’t an economic issue. But is that true?

        Chabeli Carrazana · May 4
      • Pregnant people are at 'greater risk' in states hit hard by wildfire smoke, air pollution, new report shows

        Jessica Kutz · April 20
    • From the Collection

      Next-Gen GOP

      Illustration of a woman riding an elephant
      • Mayra Flores’ victory set a record for women in Congress. It also reflects the growing visibility of Republican Latinas

        Candice Norwood · June 21
      • A banner year for Republican women

        Amanda Becker · November 11
      • Republican women could double representation in the U.S. House

        Amanda Becker · November 4
    • From the Collection

      On The Rise

      Illustration of three women marching
      • Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson’s swearing in makes history during unprecedented time for the Supreme Court

        Candice Norwood · June 30
      • Biden’s new environmental justice office aims to tackle the health impacts disproportionately faced by people of color

        Jessica Kutz · June 2
      • Jessica Cisneros takes on the last anti-abortion U.S. House Democrat

        Amanda Becker · February 25
    • From the Collection

      Pandemic Within a Pandemic

      Illustration of four people marching for Black Lives Matter with coronavirus as the backdrop
      • Some LGBTQ+ people worry that the COVID-19 vaccine will affect HIV medication. It won’t.

        Orion Rummler · November 23
      • Why are more men dying from COVID? It’s a complicated story of nature vs. nurture, researchers say

        Mariel Padilla · September 22
      • Few incarcerated women were released during COVID. The ones who remain have struggled.

        Candice Norwood · August 17
    • From the Collection

      Portraits of a Pandemic

      Illustration of a woman wearing a mask and holding up the coronavirus
      • For family caregivers, COVID is a mental health crisis in the making

        Shefali Luthra · October 8
      • A new database tracks COVID-19’s effects on sex and gender

        Shefali Luthra · September 15
      • Pregnant in a pandemic: The 'perfect storm for a crisis'

        Shefali Luthra · August 25
    • From the Collection

      The 19th Explains

      People walking from many articles to one article where they can get the context they need on an issue.
      • The 19th Explains: How pregnant people can prepare for a summer of heat waves

        Jessica Kutz · June 17
      • The 19th Explains: How new Title IX guidelines on sexual misconduct may give more help to survivors

        Nadra Nittle · June 14
      • The 19th Explains: How would overturning Roe v. Wade affect IVF?

        Jennifer Gerson · May 27
    • From the Collection

      The Electability Myth

      Illustration of three women speaking at podiums
      • Mayra Flores’ victory set a record for women in Congress. It also reflects the growing visibility of Republican Latinas

        Candice Norwood · June 21
      • Stepping in after tragedy: How political wives became widow lawmakers

        Mariel Padilla · May 24
      • Do term limits help women candidates? New York could be a new testing ground

        Barbara Rodriguez · January 11
    • From the Collection

      The Impact of Aging

      A number of older people walking down a path of information.
      • 'I'm planning on working until the day I die': Older women voters are worried about the future

        Mariel Padilla · June 3
      • Climate change is forcing care workers to act as first responders

        Jessica Kutz · May 31
      • Woman alleges that an assisted living facility denied her admission because she is transgender

        Sara Luterman · November 8
    • From the Collection

      Voting Rights

      A series of hands reaching for ballots.
      • Florida’s redistricting fight continues. The head of the state League of Women Voters talks about what’s at stake.

        Barbara Rodriguez · April 19
      • Women have been sounding the alarm ahead of Texas’ first-in-the-nation primary

        Barbara Rodriguez · February 28
      • LGBTQ+ people of color are at risk from rising voter restrictions as federal protections falter in the Senate, advocates say

        Orion Rummler · January 19

    View all collections

  • Explore by Topic

    • Abortion
    • Business & Economy
    • Caregiving
    • Coronavirus
    • Education
    • Election 2020
    • Elections 2022
    • Environment & Climate
    • Health
    • Immigration
    • Inside The 19th
    • Justice
    • LGBTQ+
    • Politics
    • Race
    • Sports
    • Technology

    View All Topics

Home
  • Our Mission
  • Our Team
  • Latest Stories
  • Upcoming Events
  • Contact Us
  • Newsletter
  • Donate
  • Work With Us
  • Fellowships

We’re an independent, nonprofit newsroom reporting on gender, politics and policy. Read our story.

Support The 19th

As a nonprofit newsroom, members are critical to our sustainability. Your financial support helps make our journalism possible.

Become a Member

Donate to support our mission

The 19th thanks our sponsors. Become one.

Jackie Young #0 of the Las Vegas Aces and Epiphanny Prince #11 of the Seattle Storm vie for a jump ball as Chelsea Gray #12 of the Aces and Stephanie Talbot #7 of the Storm look on during their game at Michelob ULTRA Arena on June 27, 2021
The WNBA currently leads major U.S. professional sports leagues in getting its players fully vaccinated. (Photo by ETHAN MILLER/GETTY IMAGES)

Health

WNBA leads professional sports world in COVID-19 vaccinations

League officials worked hard to communicate with players about health concerns and continue to implement distancing measures for fans, a move that sets them apart from several other professional sports leagues.

Candice Norwood

Breaking News Reporter

Candice Norwood headshot

Published

2021-06-29 16:16
4:16
June 29, 2021
pm

Share

  • Twitter
  • Facebook
  • Email

The WNBA made clear this week that it is leading the major professional sports leagues in COVID-19 prevention measures, with 99 percent of its players fully vaccinated and zero new players testing positive since the start of the regular season.

Those numbers are partly the result of a league-wide effort to communicate with players. As coronavirus vaccines increasingly became available earlier this year, the league’s union, WNBPA, held video meetings between players and medical professionals to discuss how vaccines work and the history of vaccine hesitancy among marginalized communities. The union also used its social platforms to share clips of those conversations with the public.

Dr. Geeta Swamy, a professor of obstetrics and gynecology with Duke University, was one of the medical experts who spoke with the players in February, explaining the vaccine clinical trial process and how vaccines affect the body. 

The 19th thanks our sponsors. Become one.

“I’ve been incredibly impressed by the WNBA players’ commitment to advocacy and community engagement,” Swamy wrote to The 19th in an emailed statement. “The players association and WNBA leadership have clearly prioritized the health and well-being of their players as well as their education and social support, which are particularly important given how geographically dispersed the players are across the world.” 

Other professional sports leagues have not reached the WNBA’s vaccination milestones. The MLB reported last week that 23 of its 30 teams had reached an 85 percent vaccination rate, allowing for more relaxed pandemic protocols. The league’s stadiums have hosted inoculation drives, and First Lady Jill Biden and Second Gentleman Doug Emhoff were on site for a vaccination event at Minute Maid Park on Tuesday. ESPN reported last week that 65 percent of NFL players have received at least one shot of a vaccine. The NBA’s commissioner said in April that more than 70 percent of players had received at least one shot.

Nearly all MLB stadiums are currently holding games with fans in the stands at full capacity. The NFL also expects stadiums to be at full capacity for games in the fall. WNBA teams are still holding games with a limited number of fans who are socially distanced and masked at games in their home arenas. Players returning from playing overseas during the winter had to receive six negative coronavirus tests on consecutive days before being cleared to play. 

A newsletter you can relate to

Storytelling that represents you, delivered to your inbox.

You have been subscribed!

Submitting…

Uh-oh! Something went wrong. Please try again later.

“The health and safety of everyone in the WNBA family has continued to be of utmost importance as we developed scenarios prior to the season and now have returned to play in WNBA arenas,” Commissioner Cathy Engelbert said in an emailed statement to The 19th. “We are grateful for the WNBPA-led vaccination education efforts prior to the season, and continue to be inspired by the leadership WNBA players have shown by getting vaccinated to protect themselves and others from the coronavirus.”

The league will continue to monitor the pandemic as several WNBA players gear up to play on the U.S. Olympic women’s basketball team in Tokyo.

Last year, the WNBA received praise for avoiding an outbreak in its “Wubble,” where players, coaches and medical professionals lived in an isolated complex in Florida for an abbreviated 22-game season. The NBA saw similar success over the summer.

Public health is one of the focuses of the WNBA/WNBPA’s social justice council, which launched in July 2020 in response to social unrest around the country following the killings of Breonna Taylor in Kentucky and other Black people. Individual players have also been outspoken against racial injustice and pushed for former U.S. Sen. Kelly Loeffler, the former co-owner of the Atlanta Dream, to sell the team in February.

The WNBA and the players’ union have partnered to raise awareness about COVID-19 vaccinations and donate to initiatives supporting the health and wellness of Black women and girls. 

Correction: Because of an editing error, an earlier version of this article misidentified one of the people attending a vaccination event at Minute Maid Park. It was First Lady Jill Biden, not Vice President Kamala Harris.

Share

  • Twitter
  • Facebook
  • Email

Support The 19th

As a nonprofit newsroom, members are critical to our sustainability. Your financial support helps make our journalism possible.

Become a Member

Donate to support our mission

Up Next

Illustration of inaccessible period products.

Health

5 pads for 2 cellmates: Period inequity remains a problem in prisons

Many prisons charge for menstrual products. And access is limited even in facilities where pads and tampons are free.

Read the Story

The 19th
The 19th is a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt organization. Our stories are free to republish in accordance with these guidelines.

  • Donate
  • Subscribe to the Newsletter
  • Attend an Event
  • Jobs
  • Fellowships
  • Contact Us
  • About Us
  • Community Guidelines
  • Membership
  • Membership FAQ
  • Major Gifts
  • Sponsorship
  • Privacy
  • Twitter
  • Facebook
  • Instagram