North Shore COVID case numbers increase for second week in a row

Numbers of new COVID cases on the North Shore are heading in the wrong direction.

Cases of new coronavirus infections are up again in North and West Vancouver, for the second week in a row.

There were 115 new cases for the week ending Feb. 6, according to information from the B.C. Centre for Disease Control. That’s 27 cases more than the 88 cases recorded for the week ended Jan. 30, and 48 more than were reported two weeks ago.

Of the new cases, 77 were in North Vancouver and 38 were in West Vancouver.

Overall, the rate of new infections on the North Shore remains between five and 10 daily cases per 100,000 people. That’s a rate similar to most of the Lower Mainland where new case numbers have remained stable in recent weeks – with no dramatic increases or decreases in new case counts.

Whistler remains the notable exception and trouble spot for COVID in the Lower Mainland, logging 142 new cases in the week ending Feb. 6. Most of the cases in Whistler have been reported in young adults who work, live and socialize together, according to health authorities, and most cases have been spread within households. New cases in Whistler have recently begun to slow down, according to health authorities. Between Jan. 1 and Feb. 8 the resort community recorded 614 cases.

Six Whistler bars and restaurants are on Vancouver Coastal Health’s list of possible public exposures to the virus.

On the North Shore, the increase in new case numbers comes at the same time as a recent spike in notifications for school exposures to the virus.

Health authorities have said school exposures usually increase with increased rates of community transmission.

Statistics released last week showed the North Shore has reported 1,949 cases of COVID-19 between the start of the pandemic last January and the end of January 2021.

Elsewhere in the province, COVID hot spots include northern and north coast communities including Bella Coola Valley, Burns Lake, Terrace, Prince Rupert, Nisga’a, Haida Gwaii, Upper Skeena, Stikine, Fort Nelson. They also include Merritt and the ski resort community of Revelstoke.

B.C. had recorded a total of 71,856 cases of coronavirus as of Wednesday, with 4,305 active cases provincewide. In the Vancouver Coastal Health region, there were 900 active cases.

B.C. had also administered approximately 157,795 doses of vaccine including 14,316 second doses.

Supplies from the vaccine manufacturer have been reduced in recent weeks.

The province’s medical health officer, Dr. Bonnie Henry, still anticipates being able to start a mass vaccination program beginning in March with seniors over 80. Details about that have yet to be released.

In the meantime, Henry is calling on B.C. residents to stay close to home and avoid social gatherings over the coming Family Day long weekend.

For everything you need to know about the coronavirus, including case counts and the latest on vaccines, visit our COVID-19 News & Resources page.