ST. CHARLES, Mo. – Officials have canceled Friday’s football game at Duchesne Catholic High School as the scheduled hosts deal with an outbreak of COVID-19 cases.
Duchesne was expected to play Cardinal Ritter on Friday evening, though the team cannot field enough players after a rise in COVID-19 cases. When at full strength, the football team has 27 players. Three are out with injuries, and 10 are out with COVID-19. Almost half the team was unavailable, and officials decided to cancel the game.
Susan Noonan, president of Duchesne High School, says the school will continue to monitor the health of students. No decisions regarding future games on the schedule have been made.
The canceled game comes at the St. Louis region deals with the spread of a new COVID-19 variant. According to the most recent data from the St. Louis Department of Health, COVID-19 hospitalizations have increased by roughly 137 percent since last month.
The FDA is expected to approve new COVID-19 boosters that could help reduce case numbers. FDA officials are asking people to get the new booster and mask up.
