COVID-19: UVic men's rugby team Omicron outbreak linked to national tournament

Teams from UBC and UVic traveled to Kingston, Ontario, in late November for the 2021 national championship.

Author of the article:

Patrick Johnston

Syringes with needles are seen in front of a graph of values and words displayed. — Syringes with needles are seen in front of a graph of values and the words “Omicron SARS-CoV-2” in this illustration taken on November 27, 2021. Photo by DADO RUVIC /REUTERS

A post-tournament party at the men’s national college rugby championships last month in Ontario is linked to a nationwide outbreak of the Omicron variant.

According to BC Provincial Health Officer Dr. Bonnie Henry, several members of the men’s rugby team are among a COVID-19 outbreak at the University of Victoria. Rugby players were infected at the national championship at Queen’s University in Kingston, Ontario, which took place Nov. 26-28, he said.

Several cases across the country have been linked to the tournament, he said.

A spokesman for the University of BC said no cases had been linked to the UBC team, which won the championship. They defeated the University of Guelph 57-19 in the final.

The team traveled to a hotel near the Ottawa airport immediately after the game and did not stay to socialize.

Requests for comment from Rugby Canada and UVic’s athletics department were not immediately returned. The men’s tournament is not affiliated with U-Sports, the national university sports authority.

Along with teams from Guelph, Queen’s, UBC and UVic, teams from the University of Calgary, Concordia University, Dalhousie University and the Royal Military College participated.

Queen’s also hosted the U-Sports Women’s National Rugby Championship from November 10-14, but it is not believed to be related to any outbreak.

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