After experiencing slight symptoms of COVID-19 three weeks ago, Rams center Brian Allen is now "feeling great" according to Senior Director, Sports Medicine and Performance Reggie Scott.
Scott said that's thanks to the collaborative response between the organization, NFL Chief Medical Officer Dr. Allen Sills, Rams Lead Primary Care Sports Medicine Physician Casey Batten and Cedars-Sinai, the Duke Infection Control Outreach Network (DICON) and the Center for Disease Control (CDC).
"That is a phenomenal group," Scott said on a video conference Thursday morning. "They're really in concert with the CDC and health guidelines, so we can lean on them a lot and they've been excellent during this time in terms of giving us policies and procedures."
Allen's case arose at the end of March, with facilities closing the final weekend of that month.
Based on that group's recommendations and existing public health guidelines, the Rams immediately quarantined Allen then determined primary and secondary contacts with Allen. Those people were quarantined for 14 days, with rapid testing conducted. All told, fewer than 10 people were quarantined as a result.
Scott said no other Rams players have tested positive for coronavirus.
"We also did a really good job of education on the front end," Scott said. "Can't thank Brian Allen enough for his transparency to just speak up. Athletes, as we know, sometimes they try to fight through things, (but) he was awesome in terms of speaking up, and then also the education that our medical staff has done to the players to know how to speak up and what to look for."
The Rams re-opened their facility this week to essential medical personnel and players with rehab needs. As for how this will impact the team's training moving forward, it remains to be seen, but Scott said he anticipates this will cause the organization to re-evaluate their daily hygiene policies and procedure.
"Really haven't got to forward yet," Scott said. "We're really kind of living in the moment. This is a such dynamic pandemic. Every week, we're getting different policies and procedures. We really are living in the moment right now, making sure we are taking care of people at this point in time."