Olympic Health Officials Say COVID-19 Testing Is Going According To Plan

TOKYO — Kara Eaker, a University of Utah red rock gymnast, is one of two American athletes who have tested positive for COVID-19 in Tokyo.

3 on 3 basketball player Katie Lou Samuelson will not be able to compete, and U.S. tennis star Coco Gauff tested positive before coming to Tokyo.

Zach Lavine of the U.S. men’s basketball team did not travel to Tokyo with the team due to health and safety protocols, however, there is hope he can rejoin the team later.

While these cases are unfortunate and your heart goes out to the athletes, positive COVID tests were expected, and according to Dr. Brian McCloskey, there has been less than expected, and the system in place is doing its job.

“What we are seeing is what we expected to see, essentially. If I thought all the tests we did are going to be negative, then I wouldn’t bother doing the test in the first place. We do the tests because they are a way of filtering out people who might be developing infection, who might become a risk later. So we identify them early, we take them apart from other people, we manage to look after them, and we look after the contacts. So, it is expected as we go through the different layers of filtering, we see cases coming out,” said McCloskey.

There were also two South African soccer players and a volleyball player from the Czech Republic have also tested positive. That’s five athletes that have tested positive, but when you consider 6,700 Olympians are at or will be coming to the village, that is a very low number.

KSL-TV will continue to follow this throughout the games in Tokyo.