Following four straight weeks of single digit weekly COVID-19 infections, the Smithers Local Health Area (LHA) recorded 11 cases from Feb. 21 to 27.
This comes as the Northwest is now the hotspot in the province in terms of the daily rate per 100,000 population. The B.C. Centre for Disease Control uses this measure to be able to campare LHAs with different populations and population densities.
While Smithers remained in the 5.1 to 10 infections per day per 100,000 population (the LHA’s population is around 18,000), the neighbouring LHAs of Terrace, Upper Skeena, Nisga’a Prince Rupert and Haida Gwaii remained in the greater than 20 cases per day per 100,000 population group.
With the exception of the Merritt and Central Coast LHAs, these northwestern LHAs are the only remaining in the province with such high rates of transmission.
The Prince Rupert and Haida Gwaii LHAs saw record numbers of cases during the most recent reporting period with 73 and 32 respectively.
Terrace recorded 31 cases, Upper Skeena 19 and Nisga’a 4.
The 11 new cases for the most recent reporting period brings the total case count for Smithers LHA to 216 since January 2020.
MORE COVID NEWS: 7 additional deaths and 542 new COVID-19 cases in B.C.
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