as stated on the initial post, a player can only bypass outright waivers if there are at least three players on the covid-19 injured list.
when a player is placed on the covid-19 injured list, it's like being placed on the 60-day injured list, in that in removes that player from the 40-man roster. and when a replacement player is added, he's added to the 40-man roster.
you may recall last season when blaine hardy had his contract selected during a covid outbreak. when the brewers decided to cut him, they simply returned him to the minors (and removed him from the 40-man) without outright waivers.