For the second week in a row, the Central Okanagan has broken an unfortunate record.
New BC Centre for Disease Control data show after recording a new high of 450 cases of COVID-19 in the last week of July, the Kelowna area nearly doubled that number between Aug. 1 and 7 with 849 cases.
It’s a steep increase from the low 29 cases noted at the end of June, a more than 2,800 per cent jump.
READ MORE: Almost 1,700 COVID-19 cases in Central Okanagan outbreak
READ MORE: Influx of COVID-19 patients prompts Kelowna General Hospital to bump some surgeries
As case counts climb and hospitalizations increase, the province has imposed more health restrictions on the Central Okanagan over the past few weeks, including reintroducing the mask mandate for public indoor places and further restrictions on bars and restaurants.
The health authority also postponed some elective surgeries at Kelowna General Hospital, where the majority of the hospitalizations are.
Since July 1, Interior Health said 1,690 people have tested positive for the virus in the Central Okanagan and numbers continue to trend upward. Of the positive cases, more than 95 per cent are not fully immunized.
Case counts are also climbing across the rest of the Interior, with Vernon recording 91, Nelson seeing 74 and 30 in Castlegar.
@michaelrdrguezmichael.rodriguez@kelownacapnews.com
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