The Chicago Cubs have not yet to reach the 85 percent COVID-19 vaccination threshold, and general manager Jed Hoyer is none too pleased about it.
Hoyer vented his frustrations about reservations to the vaccine within the Cubs clubhouse prior to Chicago's series finale against the Washington Nationals on Thursday. He also stated he was pessimistic the Cubs would ever reach the threshold:
“It's disappointing to not be at 85%, as a team. We've worked hard to try and convince or educate the people that have been reluctant. We're at a place right now — I'm not going to give up hope we're going to get there — my level of optimism is waning. It is disappointing,” Hoyer said Thursday morning, via Jesse Rogers of ESPN.
Teams that reach the threshold get certain benefits. Players deemed close contacts do not have to sit out games as they await further test results. Restrictions with respect to mask-wearing and socializing are also lifted, as well as sharing team facilities. The Cubs are not enjoying any of these privileges:
“There's a competitive advantage we're going to miss,” Hoyer said, via Rogers. “Being transparent about it, we're not a player away from being at 85%. It's a disappointing thing that we'll have anxieties and restrictions that others don't.”
The Cubs previously had a COVID scare earlier in April, which Hoyer told Rogers was a “helpless” feeling.
Nearly half of the 30 teams in Major League Baseball are at the threshold. However, Hoyer does not seem to think the Cubs will get there. He feels it can have an impact on the field, as well as off the field.
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