FILE – Bradley Beal #3 of the Washington Wizards. Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images/AFP
Washington Wizards star Bradley Beal clarified on Tuesday that he has not yet decided whether he will get vaccinated against COVID-19, while largely standing by the skeptical opinions he shared a day earlier during the team’s media day.
“What I stated yesterday, I believe what I said. It’s my opinion,” Beal said. “The ‘why’ is personal, but also along those lines, I also said that I’m still considering getting the vaccine. So one thing I want to get clear is that I’m not sitting up here advocating or campaigning that, ‘No, you should not get that vaccine.'”
Beal added that he couldn’t have received a jab by now if he wanted to because “I just cleared my 60 days of having COVID.” The 28-year-old tested positive for the coronavirus during USA Basketball’s training camp in mid-July, causing him to miss the Tokyo Olympics.
“I’ll just respect those things and go according to those rules and regulations until my decision changes — which is still possible,” he reiterated. “I’m not sitting here saying that I won’t get it.”
On Monday, Beal merely cited “personal reasons” for not getting vaccinated yet and asked why vaccinated individuals still contract the virus.
So-called breakthrough infections are still possible, but in those cases, studies have shown that the vaccine makes symptoms less severe and last for a shorter time. A study from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found that unvaccinated people were more than 10 times more likely to be hospitalized due to COVID-10 — and 11 times more likely to die — than vaccinated people.
Beal said Monday that during his bout with the virus, his only symptom was a loss of his sense of smell. He also said his parents and his brothers are vaccinated, so he understood “both sides of it.”
Beal averaged a career-high 31.3 points per game last season, earning his third All-Star appearance.