"I think the biggest difference between this year and last year is that the vaccine itself is protecting against serious illness," Daly said after making a COVID-19 presentation during the NHL Board of Governors meeting at the Eau Palm Beach. "So while we have some symptomatic players and some players under the weather for a couple days, they're not getting sick like they got last year, and that's a direct effect of being fully vaccinated."
The NHL has postponed five games because of COVID-19 concerns this season after postponing 55 last season.
The Ottawa Senators had 10 players in NHL COVID-19 protocol and three games postponed: at the New Jersey Devils on Nov. 16, against the Nashville Predators on Nov. 18 and against the New York Rangers on Nov. 20. The New Jersey game was played Monday; Ottawa won 3-2 in a shootout. The other two games have not been rescheduled.
The New York Islanders had eight players in COVID-19 protocol and two games postponed: against the Rangers on Nov. 28 (rescheduled for March 17) and at the Philadelphia Flyers on Nov. 30.
Daly said two other differences from last season are the Delta variant and relaxed protocols for fully vaccinated individuals. He said studies have concluded most infections have come outside team settings.
"What science does know is the Delta variant is very inherently contagious and that the effect of having more COVID positives is a direct effect of that," Daly said. "Obviously having the more relaxed protocols for fully vaccinated players plays into that as well.
"The other thing our studies have been able to conclude is that the clusters of cases we're getting … whereas last year, we could trace it to the locker room, basically, and all the contagiousness and transmission was happening in the locker room, most of the transmission and contagions we're getting this year are community-based transmission. [There have been] very few cases of multiple cases from the same strain in the locker room. So it's basically community transmission that they're getting.
"So, again, it makes us feel a little more comfortable with where we are this year versus last year."
Daly said the NHL has implemented stricter protocols and increased testing for defined periods of time in response to clusters of cases.
"I think I reported to the Board we've had 19 different teams who have employed enhanced measures during the course of this season, again, for a defined period of time, until we're kind of out of the woods," Daly said. "Typically, that's for a seven-day period where there's enhanced testing and we're all comfortable that it's safe continuing.
"So I think the current view of our medical professionals are that's doing what it's intended to do, and at this point further measures will be employed if and when they're deemed necessary. But at this point they're not deemed necessary."
