COVID-19 cases rose slightly in the Central Okanagan last week

Photo: BC CDC

New COVID-19 cases by local health area, identified between Jan. 24 and 30.

For the first time since the beginning of December, new weekly COVID-19 case numbers in the Central Okanagan have increased from the week prior.

New Local Health Area data released by the BC Centre for Disease Control shows there were 77 new cases of the virus identified in the Central Okanagan between Jan. 24 and Jan. 30. This is up slightly from the 65 cases found in the region the week prior.

Since the region saw a peak of 349 weekly cases in early December, cases have consistently dropped week over week, as residents abide by public health restrictions aimed at reducing transmission.

Despite the slight increase, the region had a rate of infection of 36.4 weekly infections per 100,000 people, lower than the provincial average of about 60.

New cases have come down in the North Okanagan, where numbers have been rising in recent weeks. The Vernon region saw 45 new cases last week, down from 59 the week prior, while the Salmon Arm region cut their new cases by more than half, down to 26 new cases.

Cases stayed high in the Kamloops area, with an outbreak at Royal Inland Hospital at the epicentre.

The Enderby and Armstrong-Spallumcheen regions had seven new cases each last week.

To the south, the Penticton region had 11 new cases last week, up from nine the week before, while the Summerland region had just two.

The South Okanagan, which saw a peak of 54 new weekly cases back in early December, had three new cases last week.

To the west, the Keremeos region had six new cases, up from zero the week prior.

And in the Merritt area, there were 24 new cases last week, up from 15 the week before. This works out to a rate of 204 weekly infections per 100,000 people.

Interior Health has identified clusters of cases around the Williams Lake and Fernie areas. Last week, new cases in the Cariboo/Chilcotin local health area – which includes Williams Lake – dropped to 72, from 120 the week before, while Fernie's new cases dropped by 15 to 22.

Given the region's low population, the Cariboo/Chilcotin region still has one of the highest rates of infections in the province at 275 weekly infections per 100,000 people, while the Fernie region had an infection rate of 179 weekly infections per 100,000 people.

But the hardest hit region in the province last week was the Howe Sound region, which includes Whistler. The region had 287 new infections over the week, for a rate of infection closer to 800 infections per 100,000 people. For comparison, the region saw just 12 weekly infection back in early December, when the Central Okanagan numbers were spiking.