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Nelson tops West Kootenay with 144 new COVID-19 cases

Trail also remains a COVID hotspot with 124 cases
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New COVID-19 cases for the week of Jan. 23 to 29. Illustration: B.C. Centre for Disease Control

Nelson and Trail continue to lead the West Kootenay in new COVID-19 cases.

The Nelson local health area, which includes Salmo and parts of the Slocan Valley, had 144 new cases during the week of Jan. 23 to 29, according to weekly data provided by the B.C. Centre for Disease Control.

That means Nelson had at least 764 cases in January, compared to 921 for all of 2021.

Trail meanwhile added 124 new cases, followed by 61 in Castlegar, 53 in Creston, 17 in Grand Forks, three in the Kootenay Lake area and two in the Arrow Lakes area that includes Nakusp.

Those case counts are also likely underreported. Provincial health agencies no longer perform PCR tests on anyone except people who are immunocompromised or work in high-risk settings such as health care.

People with symptoms are either provided a rapid test or told to stay home until their symptoms subside, the outcome of which is not recorded by the Interior Health Authority.

The uptake of vaccine doses also vary across the West Kootenay.

Among eligible people ages 12 and older, 88 per cent in Trail have had two doses of vaccine as of Feb. 1. That’s followed by Castlegar (82), Grand Forks (79), Nelson (78), Arrow Lakes (77), Creston (73) and Kootenay Lake (72).

Children ages five to 11 are also gradually receiving their first dose.

Fifty-six per cent of kids in Trail have had one shot, which is the second highest in Interior Health behind only Kimberley.

Castlegar follows at 42 per cent, ahead of Nelson (37), Grand Forks (31), Creston (28), Kootenay Lake (27), and Arrow Lakes (21).

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