The BC CDC is reporting 15 new cases of COVID-19 in the Golden area for the week of April 18 to 24.
Golden is now experiencing one of the highest rates of infection per capita in the province, with over 20 cases per population of 100,000.
Neighbouring communities that have had similar rates of infection, such as Revelstoke and Windermere, have seen a sharp decrease in new cases, with Revelstoke reporting seven and Windermere four, after being targeted with vaccination clinics after being deemed hotspots.
The sudden increase in cases after months of keeping spread low with one to two cases each week is a reminder at how quickly the situation can change.
“We will get to a better place, but the stories all around us are sobering,” said the Physicians of Golden in their April 26 update.
“The situation can change so quickly. We need to stay the course and just stay close to home until things stabilize.”
READ MORE: 3 new cases of COVID-19 in Golden area
Provincially, case counts appear to be plateauing, as vaccination efforts continue.
The Physicians of Golden say that the province is sitll on track to get everyone who wants to be vaccinated at least one dose by the end of June.
Dr. Theresa Tam, Chief Public Health Officer of Canada, has said that the country can look at loosing restrictions once 75 per cent of Canadians have had their first dose and 20 per cent have been fully vaccinated. She anticipates that that threshold will be acheived by mid-summer.
Maps of new cases reported each week in each local health area can be found on the BC Centre for Disease Control website under BC COVID-19 data. Also available are graphs from the BCCDC Comparisons App showing how each health authority is doing in terms of positive test rates by month.
Vaccination has expanded for registration for everyone 18+. Register for the vaccine at https://www2.gov.bc.ca/gov/content/covid-19/vaccine/plan.
