COVID-19 cases continue their upward trend across the West Kootenay.
Nelson has once again smashed its weekly record for new COVID-19 cases while Castlegar’s numbers remained similar to the previous week.
The Nelson local health area, which includes Salmo and parts of the Slocan Valley, had 153 new cases during the week of Aug. 15 to 21, according to the BC Centre for Disease Control.
That breaks the record of 117 set one week prior. The Nelson area has now had 382 new cases recorded between July 25 and Aug. 21, and a total of 525 since March 2020.
Creston set a new high with 56 cases between Aug. 15 to 21, followed by Trail with 36, Castlegar’s 33 and 18 in Grand Forks.
Castlegar has seen 115 new cases in the last four weeks, bringing the total number of cases throughout the pandemic to 206.
Arrow Lakes, which includes Nakusp, added five cases, while the Kootenay Lake area had two.
Vaccination rates, meanwhile, saw marginal increases.
In the Nelson area, 63 per cent of eligible people are fully vaccinated as of Aug. 24.
Creston’s vaccination rate continues to be the lowest in the West Kootenay, with only 57 per cent of eligible people having received two doses. Trail leads the region with 75 per cent of people completely vaccinated. Castlegar falls in the middle at 67 per cent.
READ MORE:
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• ‘The time is now’: Creston physician urges vaccination amid rising COVID infections
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