A B.C. Centre for Disease Control map showing new COVID-19 cases by local health area for the week of April 18-24. (BCCDC image)

Nanaimo the only area of Vancouver Island to see rise in new COVID-19 cases

B.C. Centre for Disease control releases data by local health area

  • Apr. 29, 2021 12:00 a.m.

Nanaimo was the only part of Vancouver Island that saw a rise in COVID-19 cases last week.

The B.C. Centre for Disease Control released data Wednesday, April 28, showing new COVID-19 cases by local health area for the week of April 18-24.

The BCCDC reports that there were 45 new cases in Greater Nanaimo during that week, up from 31 new cases the week before.

Every other local health area on Vancouver Island saw cases go down last week.

Greater Victoria, the local health area on the Island with the largest population, remained the hot spot for cases with 74, but that tally was down from 103 cases the week before. Nanaimo was next, followed by Sooke and Western Communities with 41, and then Saanich Peninsula and the Comox Valley with 16 new cases apiece.

Oceanside, which had more new cases than Nanaimo at one point earlier this month, was down to five new cases last week.

Nanaimo and Sooke were the local health areas with the most new COVID-19 cases per capita last week.

Island Health reported on Wednesday that there had been 32 new COVID-19 cases the day before, and there are now 269 active cases on the Island, with 79 on the central Island, 172 on the south Island and 18 on the north Island.

The BCCDC reports that there are seven COVID-19 patients in critical care on Vancouver Island and another 25 hospitalized. Dr. Derek Poteryko, Nanaimo’s medical director of community health, posted on social media April 27 that there were 10 COVID-19 patients at Nanaimo Regional General Hospital.

More than 250,000 first doses of vaccine have been administered on Vancouver Island, according to the BCCDC. All British Columbian adults are now being asked to register at http://gov.bc.ca/getvaccinated and they will be contacted when it is their turn to make an immunization appointment.

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