Sports in Covid-19 Times: Heart Alert

Introduction

Sports competitions were taking place everywhere in 2019, but the novel coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2) has changed the sports scenario around the globe lately. In March 2020, the World Health Organization (WHO) declared COVID-19 (a disease caused by the SARS-CoV-2 virus) pandemic and social isolation was adopted by several governments, prohibiting sporting events. Whereas public authorities have started the process of relaxing social isolation, medical experts have been discussing the best way to evaluate athletes who had COVID-19 aiming a safe return to sports practice. The lack of clinical and epidemiological data regarding cardiac involvement in COVID-19 cases, especially for the oligosymptomatic, non-hospitalized ones, and the unknown consequences of potential cardiac injury, turn this task into a challenge. According to the amount of time passed by, a better understanding of the outcomes and these recommendations may change.

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