There was only one new COVID-19 case in the Fernie local Health area last week according to the latest BCCDC data.

Between May 23 and 29, the local health area – which stretches from Elkford through Fernie and includes the South Country, was home to only a single newly-identified case of coronavirus – the lowest number seen since late February and early March, when the Fernie area registered two weeks without any cases in the aftermath of a local ‘cluster’ being declared by Interior Health.

Between early March and this week, there have been 86 cases identified in the region with numbers fluctuating but never rising higher than 13 in any given week.

Elsewhere in the East Kootenay region, numbers were also low, and have been for the last three weeks as B.C. enters into it’s four-step re-opening plan.

Cranbrook saw the highest numbers last week at nine cases, while Kimberley was up to two cases after three weeks with zero. The Windermere local health area saw four cases, with numbers staying low after the Invermere-area has community-wide immunization implemented in the last few weeks.

Provincially, numbers of new cases are the lowest they have been since October 2020, with numbers falling below 200 per day.

Currently, all residents of B.C. who are 12 or older can register for vaccines and book appointments either online at getvaccinated.gov.bc.ca, or over the phone by calling 1-833-838-2323.

Residents who are 70 or older who received their first dose of vaccine in March and April and have not received an alert to book their second dose are encouraged to re-register and book either online or over the phone. Those who were vaccinated in March and April did so before the current registry was established, so may not receive alerts from the current system.

READ MORE: B.C.’s COVID-19 infections below 200 for second day Wednesday

Fernie Free Press