A growing outbreak at the University of Victoria has infected 137 people, including 15 cases confirmed as the Omicron variant, according to health officials.
The latest update includes cases reported up to Tuesday, Dec. 14, Island Health says.
The outbreak is linked to two off-campus parties held by business students and varsity athletes, while the introduction of Omicron to the campus is linked to a rugby tournament in Ontario.
A little over two weeks ago, the UVic rugby team took on UBC in a Canadian University Men’s Rugby Championship gold medal game in Kingston, Ont. that health officials now say was an Omicron hotbed.
The outbreak has since prompted UVic to move exams online for the fall semester.
Vancouver Island Chief Medical Health Officer Dr. Richard Stanwick has warned the spike in cases at UVic should be a wake-up call for the holidays.
“What the students did, this is what much of our population will be doing heading into the holiday season,” said Stanwick. “Keep your contacts small. The larger the gathering, the larger the risk.”
All UVic students diagnosed with COVID-19 and their close contacts have been told to isolate at home.
CHEK News
