For a second straight weekly reporting period, confirmed COVID-19 cases in the Smithers Local Health Area (LHA) have risen. From Jan. 3 to 9 the LHA (Houston to Witset saw 25 new infections.
Again, this represents a very high daily infection rate of 15.1 to 20 per 100,000 population, a measure the B.C. Centre for Disease Control uses to allow comparison between areas with different population densities.
That brings the total case count for Smithers LHA (Houston to Witset) to 147 since January.
Caseloads in most of the surrounding Northwest Health Service Delivery Area LHAs for the first week of January were also on the rise. Terrace had 44, Nisga’a 29, Burns Lake 20, Nechako 20, Upper Skeena 11, and Kitimat 11.
Haida Gwaii, Price Rupert, Snow Country, Telegraph Creek and Stikine LHAs reported no cases.
As of Friday, Northern Health was reporting 49 new daily cases. There were 497 active cases with 44 hospitalized and 13 receiving critical care.
There have been 48 confirmed deaths and 2,182 victims are considered to have recovered since the pandemic began.
A weekly report on Health Service Delivery Areas (HSDA) usually delivered Thursday was delayed.
While Northwest numbers are increasing, the province as a whole is seeing a downward trajectory in the curve.
