Two new cases of COVID-19 were reported in the Golden area for the week of Aug. 1-7, with seven active cases in the community as of Aug. 11, according to a post from the Physicians of Golden.
“The ripples of the fourth wave have reached Golden. We have had a sharp increase in cases,” wrote Dr. Trina Larsen Soles.
“This virus has arrived in our community from people who brought it here or locals who traveled and brought it back. The higher we can get the vaccination numbers the safer we will be.”
According to the Physicians, most cases are in unvaccinated or partially vaccinated people, although not all of them are. While those who are fully vaccinated can still potentially get infected, particularly with the more transmissible Delta variant, the BC CDC is reporting that the vaccine is effective in preventing serious illness and hospitalization in those who do see breakthrough cases.
Vaccinated individuals tend to have milder illness if they get infected and are also less likely to pass virus on than unvaccinated individuals.
This echoes what Dr. Bonnie Henry said on Aug. 5, when she stated that 95 per cent of people who have COVID-19 right now in B.C. have not been vaccinated or have only received one dose.
In Golden, the vaccination clinic will be open at the curling rink until the end of August, when it will be moved back to the health unit at the hospital. No appointment is needed. The clinic is open Tuesday through Thursday, 10 a.m. until 3 p.m.
The Physicians of Golden also recommend masking indoors.
“Golden has stopped local surges before, now is the time to keep a safe distance and shut this one down,” wrote Dr. Larsen Soles.
Test positivity has increased to 7 per cent provincially, up from 2 per cent last week.
While cases surge across the province at an accelerated rate compared to previous waves, hospitalizations and new deaths both remain low and stable.
In Golden, 72 per cent of people aged 12+ have their second dose, while 83 per cent have their first dose. The wait between doses is now just 28 days.
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.
