Minnesota Vikings Player, 30, Is Stable After Being Hospitalized with Breakthrough COVID-19

Stephen Maturen/Getty Dakota Dozier

A player for the Minnesota Vikings who is vaccinated contracted a breakthrough case of COVID-19 and was hospitalized after experiencing difficulty breathing, their coach said.

On Wednesday, coach Mike Zimmer told reporters at a press conference that "one of our players that was vaccinated, he had to go to the ER last night because of COVID," though he did not identify the athlete. He added that the player was "stable now" but still hospitalized.

"It's serious stuff," said Zimmer, 65. "Like 29 guys are getting tested because of close contact, including myself. ... It was scary."

According to reports from ESPN and NFL Network, the player is Dakota Dozier, a 30-year-old father of two and offensive lineman. On Friday, Dozier was placed on the Vikings' COVID-19 reserve practice squad.

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The NFL currently does not require players to be fully vaccinated against COVID, but specific mandates from teams and venues vary due to local city and state laws.

Per the NFL's guidelines, vaccinated players will not have to quarantine if they come in close contact with an infected person, while unvaccinated individuals will face a five-day quarantine period.

Ahead of the season, the Vikings had an epidemiologist and infectious disease expert speak to players about getting the vaccine, the NFL Network reported in August.

Said Zimmer at the time, "I just … I care about these players and I care about their families. So that's my main reason. If they miss a game because they get COVID, so be it. But I don't want them to get sick, and I don't want their families to get sick and their kids to get sick or my grandkids to get sick."

Breakthrough cases — COVID-19 infections that occur in people who have been fully vaccinated against the virus — are possible and expected, as the vaccines are not 100% effective in preventing infections. Still, vaccinated people who test positive will likely be asymptomatic or experience a far milder illness than if they were not vaccinated. The majority of deaths from COVID-19 — around 98 to 99% — are in unvaccinated people.

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