After two long years of COVID-19 hysteria, the National Collegiate Athletic Association rang in 2022 with a dose of common sense.

The NCAA, which oversees more than 500,000 college athletes across three divisions in all fifty states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and even Canada, updated its COVID-19 guidelines.

Those with prior infection (within the past 90 days) are now considered "fully vaccinated" — an affirmation that natural immunity confers protection to those infected by COVID-19.

"The omicron variant has presented another surge of cases across the country," NCAA chief medical officer Brian Hainline noted in a press release.  "This guidance was designed to align with the latest public health directives.  Given how the pandemic continues to evolve, it's important that staff on member campuses continue to work with their local and state health officials on protocols most suitable for their locations."

Meanwhile, the NCCA's updated guidelines website read:

For purposes of the winter guidelines, the NCAA COVID-19 Medical Advisory Group has developed a definition of "fully vaccinated" that considers both vaccination status and other immunity factors that may impact risks for Tier 1 individuals, including student-athletes and coaches. Those considered fully vaccinated include people:

• Within two months of having completed the primary series of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine (one dose).
• Within five months of having completed the primary series of the mRNA Pfizer vaccine, or within six months of having completed the primary series of the mRNA Moderna vaccine (two doses for both).
• Who have received a booster vaccine if they are beyond two months of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine or beyond five or six months of the mRNA Pfizer or Moderna vaccine, respectively.

A person who has had a documented COVID-19 infection in the past 90 days is considered the equivalent of "fully vaccinated."

Since the outset of the COVID-19 outbreak, natural immunity has been largely dismissed by public health experts, the medical establishment, and the politicized mainstream media.  Natural immunity, we all know, does not wield financial windfalls for big Big Pharma.  Neither does common sense, for that matter.

According to Marty Makary, a professor at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, citing an Israeli study of more than 700,000 people, natural immunity from infection confers 27 times more protection than vaccinated immunity in preventing symptomatic infection.

"We should not force COVID vaccines on anyone when the evidence shows that naturally acquired immunity is equal to or more robust and superior to existing vaccines," writes Paul Elias Alexander with Brownstone Institute," which previously documented 30 studies on natural immunity as it relates to COVID-19. 

Curiously, it appears the mainstream media didn't even notice the NCAA's adjusted definition of what it means to be "fully vaccinated," save for ESPN.

On Twitter, meanwhile, clinical psychologist and the author of 12 Rules for Life: An Antidote to Chaos Jordan B. Peterson weighed in.

"This deserves more publicity," he said.

This deserves more publicity https://t.co/QffILCIupi

— Dr Jordan B Peterson (@jordanbpeterson) January 15, 2022

While the NCAA seems to be moving in the right direction, only time will tell how others will adjust to omicron or other variants — heaven forbid.

By contrast, Stanford University is now mandating COVID-19 boosters by January 31, even as 95% of the student body is fully vaccinated.

"All eligible students will be required to provide documentation of a booster, unless they have a medical or religious accommodation, by Jan. 31, 2022," reads Stanford's website.

That Stanford is pushing a third shot, even as European Union regulators warned recently that frequent COVID-19 booster shots could lead to immunosuppression, deserves pushback.

A petition on change.org aims to do just that.

Image via Pixnio.