'COVID travels': Cases suddenly surging in B.C.'s Interior as other hotspots cool
While nearly all of British Columbia is seeing a gradual drop-off in COVID-19 cases, the Interior Health Authority is seeing a surge in several communities that had almost no cases a month ago. It’s still unclear whether variants of concern, like the more-contagious Delta variant, may be involved.
The Windermere health services area, which encompasses several rural communities in the Columbia Valley, currently has the highest infection rate in the province, soaring to 30 cases per 100,000 people as of Monday; a week ago they had just nine per 100,000. The Fernie area (13 per 100,000, compared to two last week) and the South Cariboo (12 per 100,000, compared to eight last week) were neck-and-neck for second-worst communities, according to the latest information on the BC Centre for Disease Control's surveillance dashboard.
The agency’s most recent Weekly Data Summary, released late Tuesday, shows that cases rose in those communities and also Kootenay Lake from June 10-16, while most of the province saw fewer than five cases per 100,000. In contrast, neighbouring communities like Kamloops (one per 100,000) and the central Okanagan (four per 100,000) have only a handful of cases, while Merritt, Enderby, Summerland, Keremeos and Princeton have none at all.
“We are seeing an overall trend of decreasing, but it’s important to note some of these cases are in small communities where two or three cases can spike the rate – which is what we call a unstable rate,” explained Interior Health public health officer, Dr. Silvina Mema. “It's not community transmission like we were seeing before and what that means is the cases we are seeing are expected. If I went to dinner with three friends and I'm a COVID case, my three friends are expected to be COVID cases. It's not like before that we were having cases that we didn't know where they were coming from.”
While Mema doesn’t believe the Delta variant is behind the outbreaks, she also acknowledged she can’t know that for sure since whole genome sequencing of samples in the past week hasn’t been completed yet, but she reiterated the prevention measures and case management would be the same.
“It’s not widespread transmission, it’s small pockets of epi-linked cases and we’re closely monitoring those communities to see the trajectory,” she pointed out, adding that most cases are in unvaccinated residents. “Most commonly it’s household transmission, family members, or socializing outside of your household with playdates, even when following the rules of the Phase 2 of the restart. It’s not totally unexpected.”
A mayor in the Columbia Valley said the area has avoided high case counts until now but that with the spike in infections, he’s asking travellers to reconsider visiting for the time being, calling the numbers concerning.
“People are being cautious, but somewhere along the line we know COVID travels,” said Invermere Mayor Al Miller.
Addressing potential tourists in his community, the mayor said: “We want you here in time, and maybe now is not just the time – but certainly we want to enjoy a great summer together."
More than 400 shots per day are being administered in Invereme, the mayor added, and he hopes as immunization rates go up, cases will go down.
In the South Cariboo, one in four people tested for COVID have the virus, while 19 per cent of tests in Windermere came back positive; Peace River North has a 21 per cent positivity rate, which is slightly lower than the previous week.
When it comes to travelling to these areas, Mema says everyone should do a personal risk assessment to decide whether they’re susceptible, if their vaccination status has them more comfortable, or if they’d rather avoid the risk for the time being.
“We’re comfortable with the restart plan, but not everyone has the same level of comfort and just because you can travel doesn’t mean you have to travel – or go to a party,” she said. “We know that COVID-19 is not going to disappear completely, we will have background activity of COVID in the next months and the near future and we will have to continue to be vigilant to avoid outbreaks and widespread transmission events.”
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Latest updates on air quality alerts, and when the smoke may reach Ontario and Quebec
Wildfires have led Environment Canada to issue air quality advisories for parts of B.C., Alberta, Manitoba, Saskatchewan and the Northwest Territories, as forecasters warn the smoke could drift farther east.
Steal a car, lose your driver's licence under new Ontario proposal
Repeat car thieves may face lengthy licence bans under proposed changes to Ontario’s Highway Traffic Act.
Ellen DeGeneres addresses the 'hurtful' end of her talk show in new stand-up set
Ellen DeGeneres is reflecting on how her talk show came to an end in her newest Netflix special, 'Ellen's Last Stand ... Up Tour.'
What to pack during an emergency
Knowing what to have at home, or take with you for an evacuation, can be useful and even life-saving.
LIVE UPDATES Star witness returning to the stand for more testimony at Trump's at hush money trial
Donald Trump’s fixer-turned-foe returns to the witness stand Tuesday for a bruising round of questioning from the former president’s lawyers.
B.C. brings in law on name changes on day that child killer's new identity revealed
The BC NDP have tabled legislation aimed at stopping people who have committed certain heinous acts from changing their names.
Regulated area for invasive box tree moth expanded to parts of the Maritimes
The Canadian Food Inspection Agency has added much of the Maritimes to a regulated area for an invasive species.
Already expensive, planning for fertility treatment difficult as costs vary widely
Being unable to have a child naturally can be extremely difficult. But when you factor in the high costs of fertility treatments, the range of individual circumstances and the fact that the industry itself is secretive about fees, it can make the whole ordeal even more devastating and hard to plan for.
A healthy lifestyle can mitigate genetic risk for early death by 62%, study suggests
Even if your genetics put you at greater risk for early death, a healthy lifestyle could help you significantly combat it, according to a new study.