Update Tuesday January 17. It looks like the worst is over for the UBC-Okanagan students who attended the national student journalist conference in Victoria.

Christina Van, Coordinating Director at The Phoenix, UBCO's student paper says everyone is back home, including Alex Eastman (Editor in Chief), who initially remained behind after contracting the virus.  Gavin Gamache (Copy Editor) fell ill after their plane landed and Brendan Savage (Business Manager) was feeling ill.

Van says the rest of the group seems to be healthy.

She also passed on an update from Emma Godmere, the National Bureau Chief of the Canadian University Press, on the situation late Monday night, based on the latest information from the Vancouver Island Health Authority (VIHA):

• Their investigation is coming to a close
• The situation "doesn't appear to be food-related"
• They don't believe it originated from the kitchen or food handling in the hotel
• No other guests outside of our conference were reported ill (though two of our speakers were ill)
• They thus have to assume it was brought in by someone else, someone who could have potentially picked it up from anywhere
• VIHA did receive reports that some hotel staff were ill. According to the hotel, around a dozen kitchen and banquet staff are   ill, along with one housekeeper.

There has been an outbreak of Norwalk virus at a Victoria hotel.

Photo: Contributed - Amber Choo

Staff at the Harbour Towers Hotel are wearing masks in an effort to avoid the Norwalk Virus.

The Harbour Towers Hotel was hosting "Nash 74," the national student journalists conference, and the group included 10 people from Kelowna, including eight UBCO students, one Okanagan College student and one non-student.

"As of last night about 60 of the 300  people (who attended the conference) were confirmed," says Alex Eastman, Editor in Chief for the Phoenix, UBC's student paper and one of the lucky ones who, so far, has dodged the virus.

"Only two (of our) students are sick and neither of them was sent to hospital." Eastman says 11 of the 60 cases were sent to hospital.

Christina Van, Coordinating Director of The Phoenix,  says in an email that they have made plans to leave on schedule, Monday morning.

They were initially asked to stay until Tuesday. 

People first started getting sick around 6:30 Saturday night.

The students had dinner and were then on their way to a Gala and dance at the University of Victoria. As more people became stricken, the gala was shut down and everyone was sent back to the hotel.

By midnight, The BC Ambulance Service was called in, and realizing what the symptoms indicated, contacted the Vancouver Island Health Authority (VIHA).

"A number of them became ill with vomiting and diarrhea and basically all the signs of Norwalk," says VIHA communications officer Suzanne Germain.

"A few of them were transferred to hospital, given fluids and discharged."

Despite being in for a rough couple of days, the students are expected to be fine.

"These are young healthy individuals and let it pass," says Germain.

The virus is more of a concern for seniors and those with compromised immune systems, meaning the hospital is not necessarily the best place for those stricken to go, due the virus's ability to spread.

The symptoms generally dissipate in 24-48 hours.

"The best thing they can do is stay in the hotel, drink plenty of water and let it pass," says Germain.

At this point, the hotel is not under quarantine, but the students will likely be staying put until the symptoms pass.

A number of the students have also taken to twitter to describe, in sometimes rather vivid detail, their experiences so far.

The Harbour Hotel is not commenting at this time.

If you have a student there or if you know of someone who is there drop [email protected] a line and tell us how they are doing. If you are a student stuck in Victoria contact us at [email protected]