Against all odds, Canada is hosting the 2021 World Junior Ice Hockey Championship in Edmonton. Starting on Christmas day, and culminating on 5 January, it will be held behind closed doors, in other words no spectators allowed. All teams are held in an Edmonton bubble with strict regulations.
This week, eight German players tested positive. Germany’s
training matches against Austria (21 Dec) and Czech (23 Dec) are cancelled. Two
members of Sweden are also in isolation. Two American players were sent home. Three
weeks ago, Hockey Canada had to suspend its selection camp and quarantine all
players for fourteen days, after two players tested positive.
These are the under-20 players. As we know, the
coronavirus has little impact on the young. Moreover, these are some of the
fittest kids in the world. But ice hockey has been plagued by an astoundingly
high number of cases. 29-year-old Tyler Amburgey was the coach of two hockey
teams. In August, he initially caught a cold from the chill of the ice rinks.
This was not unusual, he had it every year. It progressed to a headache, fatigue
and shortness of breath. Thirty kids he had coached had tested positive. On the
third day, 29 August, Amburgey died.
*****
Scientists are studying hockey-related outbreaks to
learn why hockey players are getting infected so often. Several theories have
been suggested.
Hockey players are sprinting the whole time on ice. This
leads to heavier breathing resulting in more particles being inhaled and
exhaled.
One theory is that the spaces occupied by the rinks
keep the virus suspended, possibly at the height of six to nine feet above the
ice. Similar outbreaks were documented at other super-cold venues like meat
processing factories.
This is an indoor game. The rink is surrounded by
plexiglass to prevent errant pucks and keep the game dynamic (unlike soccer
which pauses once the football goes beyond the marked line). The plexiglass keeps
the airflow stable, and ice cold. Ice rinks are designed so that there is
little ventilation or humidity. It seems like an ideal ground for the
coronavirus.
Lab experiments have shown that at 86F (30C) the airborne
virus takes 52 minutes to decay, at 50F (10C), it takes 109 minutes, more than
double the time.
When humidity is high, the virus attaches itself to
bigger droplets and falls to the ground due to the heaviness of the humid
drops. (if true, I am happy about the high humidity levels in Mumbai). When the
air is dry, the droplets evaporate into small size particles and stay in the
air. Lingering at a height of six feet above the ice, they can easily enter the
nostrils of the hockey players. Research has also shown that in general, cold temperature
and low humidity can make some people more susceptible to viruses, possibly because
of lowered immunity.
I must emphasise these are theories and speculations
at this stage. But the high number of cases among the ice hockey players is a
fact. The tragic death of a 29-year-old coach is also a fact. Ice hockey
involves vigorous physical exertion accompanied by deep, heavy breathing.
During the game players frequently move from the ice surface to the bench while
still breathing heavily.
*****
Although the International Ice Hockey Federation has
cancelled most events by now, the World Junior Championship starting next week
is an exception. Governors of seven American states, including New York, New
Jersey and Connecticut have banned competitive hockey until the end of January.
Investigating the case of ice hockey is essential
because it may offer valuable clues about the behaviour of the virus. It may
explain why things are so bad in Europe and America in winter time, and so dramatically
improving in hot and humid Mumbai.
Ravi
Interesting
ReplyDelete