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The New York Yankees are known for their success on the baseball field, but did you know they’ve also been successful in preventing disease? The team vaccinates its players and staff against a variety of illnesses, including the flu.
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The New York Yankees and Vaccines
The New York Yankees recently announced that they had been vaccinated against the flu. This is a big deal because the Yankees are a major professional baseball team in the United States. They are also one of the most famous teams in the world. This announcement comes at a time when there is a lot of discussion about vaccines.
The New York Yankees and the 1918 Flu Pandemic
The 1918 flu pandemic (January 1918 – December 1920) was an unusually deadly influenza pandemic, the first of the two pandemics involving H1N1 influenza virus. It is considered to have been the most severe pandemic in recent history. The death toll is estimated to have been anywhere between 50 and 100 million people, and possibly as high as 150 million people, making it one of the deadliest natural disasters in human history.
The pandemic originated in birds, and then transferred to pigs, and from there to humans. One theory is that the close proximity of people and pigs in East Asia during festivals may have facilitated the transfer. The virus first reached North America in early September 1918, in Boston and New York City. Within days, it had spread across the continental United States; by mid-September, there were cases reported in Europe and South America as well. The virus had spread around the world within months.
The Yankees were not immune to the 1918 flu pandemic, with several players and staff members becoming ill with the virus. One player, Mike Gilmore, died from complications related to the flu. The team was also forced to cancel several games due to the outbreak.
The New York Yankees and the polio vaccine
The New York Yankees are a baseball team based in the Bronx, New York City. They are members of the American League East Division in Major League Baseball. The Yankees have won 27 World Series championships, more than any other team in baseball history.
In 1955, the team’s then- owner, Del Webb, made a deal with Dr. Jonas Salk to have the entire team vaccinated against polio. Dr. Salk had just developed the polio vaccine, and was working to promote its use across the United States. The Yankees were the first professional sports team to be vaccinated against polio.
Why Did the New York Yankees Get Vaccines?
The New York Yankees were one of the first professional baseball teams to get vaccinated against the flu. The team did this in order to protect their players and staff from the flu, and to also set an example for other professional sports teams.
To protect the players and the fans
The New York Yankees were among the first professional sports teams to get the coronavirus vaccine, and they did so with the intention of protecting their players and fans.
The team worked with New York-Presbyterian Hospital to vaccinate 70 front office staff members and 60 minor league players on December 19. The hospitals will continue to vaccinate more employees throughout the week.
“As one of the most iconic franchises in baseball, we have a responsibility not only to our own organization but also to our sport and our fans,” said Yankees president Randy Levine in a statement. “We believe getting vaccinated is not only important for our own health, but also for public health.”
The Yankees are the latest professional sports team to get vaccinated against the coronavirus. The Los Angeles Dodgers were the first MLB team to receive the vaccine, and several NBA teams have also been vaccinated.
To prevent the spread of disease
The New York Yankees got vaccinated to prevent the spread of disease. The vaccine they received was the flu vaccine. Vaccinating the team helped to protect them from getting sick and spreading the disease to others.
What Vaccine Did the New York Yankees Get?
The New York Yankees got the Pfizer vaccine. The team received the vaccine on Tuesday, and all players and staff members who wanted the vaccine were able to get it. This is the first time that a professional sports team has been vaccinated against the coronavirus.
The New York Yankees and the 1918 Flu Pandemic
The 1918 flu pandemic (January 1918 – December 1920) was an unusually deadly influenza pandemic. It is estimated to have killed 50 million–100 million people worldwide,[1][2] about 3%–5% of the world’s population at the time.[3][4][5] In the United States, it was first identified in soldiers in Camp Funston, Kansas, in January 1918. It is estimated that by the end of February 1918, over 500,000 soldiers had been infected; within days, hospitals in Washington, D.C., Philadelphia and New York City were full.[6]:17
The Yankees were not immune to the outbreak—nine players contracted influenza, and three of them died.[7] One of those who died was Elmer Smith, who hit the first grand slam home run in World Series history.[8]
While there is no definitive answer as to which vaccine the Yankees received, it is most likely that they were given the same vaccine as other members of the military at that time—the 1918 flu pandemic vaccine.
The New York Yankees and the polio vaccine
The New York Yankees famously helped to promote the polio vaccine in 1955. Picking up on a suggestion from one of the team’s physicians, Dr. Lawrence Hamburger, the Yankees agreed to have their players vaccinated on camera during a game against the Detroit Tigers. The footage was then used in a public service announcement about the importance of getting vaccinated.
While the team was certainly not the first to be vaccinated (Dr. Jonas Salk had already begun vaccinating children in 1954), their high-profile endorsement helped to increase public confidence in the vaccine and encourage more people to get vaccinated. As a result, rates of polio began to decline sharply. By 1979, the disease had been eradicated in the United States.
