COVID-19 outbreak at Our Lady Seat of Wisdom College in Barry’s Bay

By Bruce McIntyre

The Renfrew County and District Health Unit (RCDHU) has confirmed a COVID-19 outbreak at Our Lady Seat of Wisdom College (SWC) in Barry’s Bay. The health unit says that four students have tested positive for the virus.

This is not the first time the university has been at the centre of a COVID-19 outbreak. On two separate occasions students tested positive for the virus.

In February about two dozen protesters, many of them students who attend the university, marched with placards in sub-zero temperatures in Barry’s Bay, voicing arguments against government lockdown policies and argued against mask mandates.

The Health Unit released a statement regarding the outbreak that stated all contacts have been notified and there is no concern about risk to the public or other students and staff at this time, according to the RCDHU.

The RCDHU has identified three cases in addition to the one we already reported, however they are all confined to the one residence in which the original case resided. All high-risk contacts who were identified as needing to isolate have been doing so.

SWC has been administering weekly antigen tests to all faculty, staff, and students since the beginning of the academic year. A spokesperson for the University said the testing program was effective at identifying the presence of COVID-19 on-campus, and containing the spread. The spokesperson said campus-wide antigen tests last week and all came out negative.

RCDHU is working closely with SWC to ensure necessary measures continue to be in place. SWC has been cooperative and continues to work proactively to protect the community from the spread of COVID-19 by performing weekly rapid antigen tests on all faculty, staff, and students.

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