St. Francis High cancels varsity football game due to illness among players
BUFFALO, N.Y. (WIVB) – Saturday afternoon’s varsity football game at Saint Francis High School in Hamburg has been cancelled because too many students at the school are sick. It’s not the only local school dealing with an uptick in sickness, including some with cases of COVID-19.
The St. Francis Red Raiders were set to play Catholic Memorial High School out of Massachusetts. But in a statement, St. Francis said that the game has been cancelled because too many student-athletes on the football team are ill.
In a statement from St. Francis, school leaders said they’re disappointed in the cancellation of Saturday’s game, but that it’s the right decision to protect student-athletes.
St. Francis football player’s touchdown shown on national TV during Bills-Giants
“I think each situation needs to be assessed on an individual basis, but there’s no question that if we decrease the number of infections particularly in younger individuals, they’re less likely to spread that infection to more vulnerable individuals,” said Dr. Thomas Russo of University at Buffalo’s Jacobs School of Medicine.
St. Francis isn’t the only school dealing with illness among players.
Brian Graham, the Grand Island Schools superintendent said their modified football team had to shutdown practice this week because five students came down with mononucleosis. The district said they’ve sanitized locker rooms and reminded students not to share water bottles, as ways to stop the spread.
At King Center Charter School in Buffalo, the school principal Tamaira Coleman said they’re monitoring COVID-19 cases there and following CDC guidelines. Coleman stopped short of calling the situation a COVID outbreak.
“I think it’s important for people to realize that there’s still a significant burden of disease in our community and unfortunately, serious outcomes where our most vulnerable are being hospitalized and most recently, in this country, we’re still experiencing 500 plus deaths on a weekly basis,” Russo said.
Doctors recommend that you get vaccinated ahead of the colder months when traditionally COVID cases tend to rise.
“It’s important to note that the virus continues to evolve, immunity that we’ve acquired from prior infection and/or vaccination wanes over time and therefore, just because you’ve been previously vaccinated, infected doesn’t mean you have the best protection at this time,” Russo said.
The Erie County Health Department says that COVID is no longer a disease that the county is tracking in terms of cases in schools. Schools themselves are responsible for taking steps to limit the spread of the virus.
Latest Local News
Fire causes $95K in damage to East Amherst home
Town of Evans mishandled taxpayer money for over 3 years, audit says
St. Francis High cancels varsity football game due to illness among players
Aguacates Cantina owner recalls restaurant’s journey as Hamburg location opens
ICE says its mission is about public safety, while critics call for reforms
Jeff Preval is an award-winning anchor and reporter who joined the News 4 team in December 2021. See more of his work here.
Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to News 4 Buffalo.