The BC CDC is reporting no new cases of COVID-19 in the Golden area for the week of June 27 to July 3. It is the fifth consecutive week without a new case in the area.
The last new reported case in Golden was in May.
Cases continue to drop off regionally in the valley, with Invermere seeing a sudden decrease in cases after being a hotspot the last two weeks. The Windermere region saw just three new cases, with three in Fernie as well and two in Cranbrook.
Revelstoke, Kimberley and Creston all saw no new cases.
Only Grand Forks and the Hope region saw case rates of over 5.0 case per population of 100,000, as vaccination rates go up provincially.
Case rates are now approaching levels last observed in August 2020, as test positivity continues to decline, sitting at approximately one per cent provincially.
New hospitalizations are declining or stable, comparable to September 2020 levels. The majority of hospitalizations continue to be in those aged 40+.
READ MORE: Grand Forks sees repeat rash of COVID-19 cases
The BC CDC is reporting that approximately 92 per cent of all positive cases in B.C. are a Variant of Concern, with Gamma (P.1 variant) accounting for 50 per cent, Alpha (B.1.1.7 variant) making up 36 per cent as the two dominant variants. The Delta variant (B.1.617.2), which is fuelling the rising wave of cases in the U.K. currently, accounts for approximately 14 per cent of the variants of concern in B.C.
In Golden, 79 per cent of those aged 12+ have received their first dose of vaccine to date, according to the BC CDC. This is above the provincial average of approximately 75 per cent.
In those aged 18+, 81 per cent have received their first dose, and 84 per cent of those 50+ have received their first dose.
The BC CDC is reporting that approximately one in two adults 50+, and one in three individuals 12+ have received their 2nd dose.
One dose of vaccine prevents at least 7 in 10 infections in individuals ≥ 50 years.
The BC CDC is also reporting that the rate of COVID-19 infection has been higher among unvaccinated individuals than among vaccinated individuals.
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.
Register for the vaccine at getvaccinated.gov.bc.ca or call 1-833-838-2323.
