Terrace and Kitimat saw slight decreases in new COVID-19 cases during the week of Aug. 29 to Sept. 4, according to British Columbia Centre for Disease Control (BCCDC) data.
There were 14 new cases in the Terrace local health area (LHA) over that time, a decrease from 19 the week before.
Kitimat recorded 5 new cases, down from nine in the previous week (Aug. 22 to Aug. 28). Both Kitimat and Terrace’s average daily rate of new cases is in the 5.1 to 10 per 100,000 people category.
Meanwhile, Smithers saw a dramatic jump in new COVID-19 cases. There were 45 new cases reported in the LHA, up from 17 the week before.
Prince Rupert, Nisga’a and Upper Skeena LHAs all recorded more new cases. There were three new cases in Prince Rupert, three in Upper Skeena, one on Haida Gwaii and two in the Nisga’a LHA.
The BCCDC figures for the Nass Valley may differ from the Nisga’a Valley Health Authority’s statistics because of differences in the way those organizations report cases.
Farther east, there were 11 new cases in Burns Lake, 86 in Nechako and 142 in Prince George.
According to the BCCDC, as of Sept. 8, Kitimat has hit 80 per cent of eligible people fully vaccinated against COVID-19 while Terrace is still below 70 per cent.
See the two-dose list below, per cent change from the previous week is indicated by brackets:
Kitimat — 80 per cent (+1)
Haida Gwaii — 77 per cent (+0)
Prince Rupert — 72 per cent (+1)
Nisga’a — 73 per cent (+1)
Upper Skeena — 68 per cent (+1)
Snow Country – Stikine – Telegraph Creek — 67 per cent (+2)
Terrace — 69 per cent (+1)
Smithers — 61 per cent (+1)
Province-wide, the vaccination rate for people aged 12 and older with second doses has reached 78.6 per cent.
A total of 596,641 people accessed their B.C. vaccine card in the first 24 hours since its soft launch on Tuesday (Sept. 7), according to Health Minister Adrian Dix.
The vaccine card website was launched, and subsequently went down briefly, late Tuesday morning. Health officials had urged British Columbians to not worry if they couldn’t access the cards on the day of the launch as they won’t be needed until Monday.
As of Monday, anyone in B.C. will need one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine to access a variety of discretionary activities including restaurants, movie theatres and fitness centres. Until Sept. 26, individuals can use either a printed or digital vaccine card or the immunization record they received when they got their jab. As of Sept. 27, only the official vaccine card will do and as of Oct. 24, individuals will need to be fully vaccinated.
In Terrace and Kitimat, Northern Health is booking vaccine appointments for first and second doses.
For more information or to book an appointment, visit the Northern Health website or call 1-833-838-2323.
—With files from Katya Slepian
READ MORE: Here’s what you need to know about B.C.’s new vaccine card
