Last week Castlegar saw the highest COVID-19 new case count since the beginning of the pandemic.
For the week of July 18-24, the BC Centre for Disease Control is reporting 29 new cases in the Castlegar health area. This follows 15 new cases the previous week.
When adjusted for population, Castlegar had the highest average daily rate in the entire province for the period.
Castlegar has now seen a total of 91 COVID-19 cases since the pandemic began. More than 40 per cent of those cases have happened in the last two weeks.
Sobeys/Safeway is reporting four COVID-19 cases among employees at its Castlegar store.
The Lion’s Head Pub has closed its doors on July 19 after a staff member tested positive.
After seeing a spike in COVID-19 patients in their clinics, a group of Castlegar family doctors made a public plea last week for people to get vaccinated. According to the doctors, most of the local cases are in unvaccinated individuals.
RELATED: Letter to the community from the family doctors of Castlegar
According to Interior Health, since British Columbia entered step 3 of the re-opening on July 1, approximately 70 per cent of the cases in Interior Health were in people who were not vaccinated, 26 per cent of cases were in people who were partially immunized, and only four per cent of the cases were in people who had received two doses. Most of these cases are in adults between 20-39 years old.
As of July 27, about 74 per cent of people over the age of 18 in the Castlegar area have been vaccinated with a first dose, while 61 per cent have received a second dose as well. The provincial average is about 82 per cent for a first dose and 66 per cent for second dose.
Across the region, Nelson had 13 new cases, Trail had four. After several high weeks, Grand Forks has dropped to just one new case.
COVID-19 testing is once again available in Castlegar at the drive-thru site near the Castlegar Health Centre at 813 - 10th Street. Appointments are available on Monday, Wednesday and Friday. They can be made through Interior Health’s online booking platform or by calling 1-877-740-7747.
READ MORE: Mask mandate returns to Central Okanagan, COVID-19 outbreak declared
betsy.kline@castlegarnews.com
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