There were two more new cases of COVID-19 reported in the North Thompson Local Health Area between Aug. 8 and 14, according to data released by the BC Centres for Disease Control.
The LHA maps are updated by the BC CDC every Wednesday for the previous week. The total is now four over the last two weeks of reporting.
Interior Health announced seven upcoming vaccination clinics to Clearwater over the next several weeks. The first was held yesterday, Aug. 18, and the next is slated for Aug. 26. There will be five more on Sept. 2, 9, 16, 23 and 30. The clinics will be hosted at the Clearwater Health Centre on Park Drive from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.
The IH announcement noted the clinics welcome walk-ins, but Mayor Merlin Blackwell noted in a post to Facebook that doses may be limited, so registering and making an appointment is preferred. Clinics could also be cancelled due to wildfire activity.
To make an appointment call 1-833-838-2323.
As of Wednesday, Aug. 18, 7,265,222 vaccine doses had been administered in B.C., and almost 83 per cent of those age 12 and over have received their first, while 73.8 per cent have received their second dose.
The BC CDC updates the vaccination numbers for LHAs every Tuesday. From Aug. 10 to Aug. 17, those who have their first vaccine dose rose one per cent from 69 to 70. Both the 18 to 49 group and the 50 and over group saw an increase of one per cent.
The number of eligible individuals 12 and over in the North Thompson LHA who have received both doses was unchanged as of Aug. 17 at 62 per cent.
Interior Health saw 230 new cases, bringing the region total to 3,203 active cases. The provincial total is now 18,145.
In a weekly update post to Facebook on Aug. 12, the Physicians of Clearwater, British Columbia, noted there were a significant number of people potentially exposed to the virus due to one of the positive reported cases the week of Aug. 1.
“We will likely see more cases, particularly considering the low vaccination rate in 20 to 30 year olds in Clearwater,” the post reads. “95 per cent of the cases in BC are the delta variant.”
They also noted in the post that fully vaccinated people can catch the Delta strain, but are much less likely to become ill. They can, however, still spread the virus to others. The Centre for Disease Control in the United States recently overturned their recommendations on wearing masks, suggesting they should be worn in indoor public spaces.
“Canada is now officially in the fourth wave,” the post continues. “Over the past 2 weeks case counts have increased by 846 per cent.”
newsroom@clearwatertimes.com
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