Washington high school sports COVID-19 testing requirements have changed. But will schools have enough tests?

New DOH testing requirements give WIAA confidence "that we will not see any more shortage issues going through the postseason."

For more than a month, a dark cloud has loomed over WIAA winter sports, particularly the basketball and wrestling seasons.

Why?

Because of the lack of COVID-19 tests made available to high school programs to meet thrice-weekly testing requirements in order for athletes to compete.

As the nation has dealt with a COVID-19 test shortage during the rise of the highly contagious omicron variant, many high schools in Washington have struggled to meet the demand because of supply-chain constraints and shipping challenges, according to the Washington State Department of Health.

If a player or team can't meet the testing requirements, DOH rules say they cannot compete — even if the reason is tests aren't arriving in time. Games have been canceled as a result, and many schools have feared more could come. 

But there is hope among high school sports officials that will soon change. Last week, the DOH changed its COVID-19 test requirements (grades K-12) to testing on game day for sports it deems high-risk, such as basketball and wrestling, regardless of vaccination status — a move WIAA executive director Mick Hoffman cautiously hopes will relieve some of the supply issues.

Two weeks ago, the WIAA could not quantify the scale of schools reaching out with concerns that they were running out of tests because there were so many. On Thursday, WIAA assistant executive director Justin Kesterson said concern over the state’s requirements for education-based sports — one of the country’s most stringent — has changed since the updated requirements last week.

“The number of phone calls and emails I have received about testing shortages has subsided quite a bit at this point which gives us confidence that we will not see any more shortage issues going through the postseason,” Kesterson said.

Some schools that stopped offering middle school sports because of a lack of tests were able to bring them back with the updated requirements. Others, Kesterson said, are still going through lots of tests because of the volume of games and makeup games teams are playing to compensate for cancelations earlier in the season.

All along, the WIAA has said state playoffs are still a full go, and announced minor changes to state championships for several sports.

But there was concern in recent weeks the surge and test shortage may threaten seasons and postseasons.

The DOH first implemented its three-times-per-week testing requirement in December after multiple outbreaks were linked to high school wrestling tournaments. It had a way of paying for it too: the nearly $230 million of funding secured in March, as a part of a federal push for access to tests.

But shortly after testing requirements were announced, the WIAA expressed concern that the supply might not meet the demands required by the DOH guidance.

The omicron surge swept across Washington in December, and the DOH began asking the WIAA for information on how many students are playing high-risk sports across the state. The WIAA gave an overestimate to be safe, executive director Mick Hoffman said, but that didn’t stop the testing shortage that came about in January. 

While some schools have taken measures such as limiting spectator attendance in response to the surge, testing has been a key part of the DOH's K-12 schools COVID-19 response strategy.

Schools were proactive once the testing restrictions were announced, even after the state assured there would be ample supply. Seattle Prep athletic director Sam Reed starting buying tests on the open market to get ahead of any shortage. By January, he had enough to endure the shortage. 

W.F. West athletic director Jeff Johnson said he ordered an extra 1,200 tests during winter break in an attempt to get ahead of any potential supply chain issues.

Mead High School was forced to shut down its basketball and wrestling programs for a week because of a test shortage that was the result of pass closures and a supply shortage, according to Mead AD John Barrington.

“It was a bit of a shockwave for everybody,” Barrington said. “It was disappointing too because we’d been battling so long to keep kids healthy and follow the rules and then all of a sudden.

Mead schools weren't alone, either. Around the same time, the WIAA started hearing from more schools worrying about having to cancel contests due to its supply running out.

"We've heard it from every corner of the state and everywhere in between," Kesterson said in late January.

Meanwhile, the WIAA lobbied to change test restrictions to protect from competitions being canceled due to supply shortages in weekly meetings with the department of health, the Governor's Office and its testing supply company throughout January. It suggested reducing testing once or twice per week, requiring mask wearing in the case that a player can't test or testing on game days only.

For weeks, the DOH repeatedly declined the WIAA's proposals, said Hoffman.

On Thursday, the DOH said its requirements for high-contact sports were designed to keep athletes as safe as possible and acknowledged demand is "greatly outstripping" testing supplies for many schools. It also said safe in-person learning is one of the department's top priorities.

"DOH will continue to prioritize Washington schools and do what we can to keep schools open and students learning in classrooms," DOH public information officer Frank Ameduri said.

—

(Lead photo by Vince Miller)