The number of new weekly COVID-19 cases in the South Okanagan has broken the 50 mark for the first time since the end of April.
Penticton alone saw 33 new COVID-19 cases over the week of Aug. 8 to 14. The last time the local health area, which includes Naramata and Kaleden, approached those numbers was when it recorded 34 cases over April 25 to May 1.
In the Similkameen, the Keremeos local health area saw its highest recorded weekly cases in a year, with eight new cases over Aug. 8 to 14.
It’s a startling change after the area had managed to go several weeks without any new cases recorded.
READ MORE: First week of August sees 30 new COVID-19 cases in South Okanagan
Princeton saw three new cases over the same period, while the Summerland local health area saw seven.
The Southern Okanagan region, stretching from Okanagan Falls to Osoyoos, saw 11 new cases over Aug. 8 to 14.
The Central Okanagan once again saw the highest number of new weekly cases in the province, with 922 over the week of Aug. 8 to 14, a smaller rise from the 849 the week of Aug. 1 to 7 compared to the jump from 450 over July 25 to 31.
Other local health areas in the Interior are also seeing surges, including Vernon and Castlegar, which both broke triple digits with 109 and 117 respectively for the week of Aug. 8 to 14.
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