Related Experiment Video
Updated: Sep 29, 2025
Author Spotlight: Advancements in Multiplex Detection of Respiratory Viruses
Published on: November 10, 2023
An outbreak of COVID-19 associated with a fitness centre in Saskatchewan: Lessons for prevention
Maureen Anderson1,2, Ashok Chhetri1,2, Edith Halyk3
1Department of Community Health and Epidemiology, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, SK.
Insights
A COVID-19 outbreak linked to a gym spread for 38 days, highlighting the need for targeted public health interventions in fitness facilities to prevent transmission. In-school transmission was successfully limited.
Area of Science:
- Epidemiology
- Infectious Diseases
- Public Health
Background:
- A significant coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) outbreak occurred in Saskatchewan between September 12 and October 20, 2020.
- The outbreak originated from a local gym and subsequently led to six additional clusters in various settings, including a high school, hospital, workplaces, and households.
- The gym-associated cluster involved 63 confirmed cases, with 27 gym members and 36 secondary, tertiary, and quaternary cases.
Purpose of the Study:
- To analyze the transmission dynamics of a COVID-19 cluster originating from a fitness facility.
- To understand the effectiveness of public health interventions during the outbreak.
- To identify key factors contributing to the spread and control of the virus in community settings.
Main Methods:
- Descriptive epidemiological methods were employed, utilizing case and contact investigations.
- Environmental investigations were conducted at the fitness facility.
- Whole genome sequencing was performed on severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) samples to confirm lineage and track transmission.
Main Results:
- Whole genome sequencing confirmed a unique lineage (SARS-CoV-2 lineage B.1.1.72) among cluster-related cases (32 sequenced).
- Despite ongoing transmission at the gym, no secondary cases were identified in the high school attended by infected individuals.
- The outbreak persisted for 38 days, indicating challenges in interrupting transmission chains through standard case finding and isolation alone.
Conclusions:
- Fitness facilities can be significant sources of COVID-19 transmission, necessitating targeted public health actions.
- Short-term closures and cleaning may be insufficient to halt transmission in gyms.
- Effective control measures successfully limited in-school transmission, demonstrating the importance of setting-specific interventions.
Background:
An outbreak of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) occurred in Saskatchewan from September 12 to October 20, 2020. The index event, attendance at a local gym, seeded six additional clusters/outbreaks in multiple settings. These included a high school, a hospital, three workplaces (A, B and C) and several households. The overall cluster comprised 63 cases, 27 gym members and an additional 36 second, third and fourth generation cases.
Methods:
All outbreak-related, laboratory-confirmed cases of COVID-19 were included in the analysis. Local public health authorities interviewed all cases and contacts and conducted environmental investigations of the fitness facility. We used descriptive epidemiological methods to understand transmission dynamics of the gym-associated cluster using case investigation, contact investigation and laboratory data, including whole genome sequencing.
Results:
Sequencing data confirmed the unique lineage of cluster-related cases (n=32 sequenced; severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 [SARS-CoV-2] lineage B.1.1.72). In addition to gym attendance, infectious cases attended high school and were involved in other activities. Despite ongoing transmission in the fitness facility, no secondary cases were identified in the high school where four student belonging to the cluster attended class during their infectious period.
Conclusion:
We describe an outbreak of COVID-19 where the index case(s) attended a fitness facility, and further spread occurred for 38 days despite active-case finding and isolation of positive cases over this period. Due to gym attendance over time, short-term closing and cleaning may not interrupt chains of transmission. Targeted, preventive public health action in fitness facilities may be warranted. Control measures worked to limit in-school acquisition.
Related Concept Videos
01:18Steps in Outbreak Investigation
01:22Healthcare Associated Infections II: Preventive Measures
The best practices for preventing healthcare-associated infections include hand hygiene, patient risk...
01:20Infection
The chain begins with pathogens: bacteria, viruses, fungi, prions, or parasites such as protozoa helminths. These can be present on the skin as transient or resident flora, or they can be acquired from the environment. Identifying and treating the type of infection and...
01:25Transmission-based Precautions II: Airborne and Protective Environment
Airborne precautions:
Use airborne precautions when treating patients known or suspected to have diseases that spread through the air—for example, tuberculosis or measles. These organisms are present in smaller droplets expelled by an infected person and...
01:26Factors Affecting the Risk of Infection
The integrity and count of the white blood cells help the body resist pathogens and fight infection. When impaired, it reduces the body's resistance to pathogens. The acidic pH levels of the gastrointestinal, genitourinary tracts, and skin...
01:17Transmission-based Precautions I: Contact, Enteric, and Droplets
Contact Precautions:
Contact precautions are the measures taken to prevent the transmission of infectious agents, especially epidemiologically important microorganisms such as MRSA or influenza, primarily transmitted through direct or indirect contact with an...