Queen's University Outbreak Is Being Linked To Omicron Spread In BC & Nova Scotia
Both provinces are investigating cases after a sports tournament in Ontario.
A rugby championship held at Queen's University last month is being linked to Omicron outbreaks in two other provinces.
Both Dr. Bonnie Henry, B.C.'s provincial health officer, and Dr. Robert Strang, Nova Scotia's chief medical officer of health, tied recent variant cases to varsity rugby teams that attended a November championship in Kingston.
In a press conference on Tuesday, Henry said 124 people are involved with the outbreak at the University of Victoria and that the recent COVID-19 cases are linked to a sports tournament in Ontario, with some confirmed as the Delta and Omicron variant.
“There was some transmission from the varsity rugby team which participated in a rugby game, and I don’t have all of the details of how many teams were there, but it has led to outbreaks in several other universities across the country as well,” she said.
"Some of the most recent cases are related to varsity rugby players that have tested positive for Omicron," she added.
Meanwhile, Dr. Strang told reporters on Monday that public health officials were investigating whether the Dalhousie University's men's rugby team brought back the rapidly-spreading COVID-19 variant from Queen's following the championship.
“We’re also starting to understand there’s the potential that this is linked, initially, to a large outbreak that’s happening at Queen’s University in Ontario,” he said.
Queens University released a statement on December 8 that said a COVID-19 outbreak had been declared within the varsity sports community but that it was "not directly related to sports competition or on-campus facilities." The university suspended varsity training at that time, and anyone affected was advised to follow public health guidelines.
On December 10, Queens reported a COVID-19 outbreak in the student community. Three days later, the university cancelled all in-person exams due to the "prevalence of the Omicron variant in the Kingston region," according to a statement on December 13.
The Canadian University Men’s Rugby Championship took place from November 24 to 28.
Narcity reached out to Queen's University for further comment but has yet to hear back.