New COVID-19 cases continued to trend upward in northwest B.C. during the week of Aug. 15 to Aug. 21, according to British Columbia Centre for Disease Control data.
Kitimat recorded 16 new cases, an increase of one from the week before (Aug. 8 to Aug. 14). Kitimat has seen over 30 new cases in the past two weeks. That puts the Kitimat local health area (LHA) in the highest rate per capita category, with an average daily rate of greater than 20 cases per 100,000 people.
There were seven new cases in the Terrace LHA.
Prince Rupert, Nisga’a and Upper Skeena LHAs recorded no new cases between Aug. 8 to Aug. 14, but have all recorded new cases since.
There was one new case in Prince Rupert, four in the Nisga’a LHA, one in Upper Skeena and 10 in Smithers. There were two new cases on Haida Gwaii.
Farther east, there was one case in Burns Lake, 44 new cases in the Nechako LHA and 62 in Prince George.
Terrace’s second dose vaccination rate for people over 12-years-old sits at 66 per cent. According to the BCCDC, as of August 24, Terrace’s two-dose vaccination rate is relatively low compared to some other LHAs in the northwest.
See the two-dose list below, per cent change from the previous week is indicated by brackets:
Kitimat — 77 per cent (+4)
Haida Gwaii — 76 per cent (+1)
Prince Rupert — 70 per cent (+1)
Nisga’a — 70 per cent (0)
Upper Skeena — 66 per cent (0)
Snow Country – Stikine – Telegraph Creek — 62 per cent (+2)
Terrace — 66 per cent (+2)
Smithers — 59 per cent (+2)
Province wide, vaccination rates for people aged 12 and older have reached 83.5 per cent for first doses and 75.4 for second doses.
Northern Health is holding vaccine clinics each Wednesday between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. at the Kitimat General Hospital’s multi-purpose room for booked appointments.
In Terrace, Northern Health is booking vaccine appointments at the Terrace Health Centre for first and second doses.
For more information or to book an appointment, visit the Northern Health website or call 1-833-838-2323.
The province says there has been a ‘significant increase’ in vaccine registrations and bookings following the announcement of the B.C. Vaccine Card program on Aug. 23.
Monday (Aug. 23) saw 8,909 new registrations and 7,347 new appointment bookings, representing a 174.8 per cent increase in daily registrations and an 88.6 per cent daily increase compared to the previous Monday which recorded 3,242 new registrations and 3,896 bookings.
Vaccines will be required in certain social and recreation settings by Sep. 13.
— With files from Cole Schisler
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