COVID-19 cases have shot up in Kitimat to double-digits for the week of Aug. 8 to Aug. 14, with Terrace also reporting a notable increase in cases.
Kitimat recorded 15 new cases, up from two the week before (Aug. 1 to Aug. 7). That puts the Kitimat local health area (LHA) in the highest rate per capita category, with an average daily rate of greater than 20 cases per 100,000 people.
New cases in Terrace doubled from three to six.
According to the British Columbia Centre for Disease Control (BCCDC), Prince Rupert, Nisga’a and Upper Skeena LHAs recorded no new cases.
There was one new case on Haida Gwaii, two in Smithers and one in Burns Lake. Farther east, there were 44 new cases in the Nechako LHA and 59 in Prince George.
Terrace’s second dose vaccination rate for people over 12-years-old sits at 64 per cent. According to the BCCDC, as of August 19, Terrace’s two-dose vaccination rate is relatively low compared to other LHAs in the northwest.
See the list below, per cent change from last week is indicated by brackets:
Kitimat — 73 per cent (+1)
Haida Gwaii — 75 per cent (+1)
Prince Rupert — 69 per cent (+1)
Nisga’a — 70 per cent (+3)
Upper Skeena — 66 per cent (+1)
Snow Country - Stikine - Telegraph Creek — 60 per cent (+3)
Terrace — 64 per cent (+1)
Smithers — 57 per cent (+1)
Province wide, vaccination rates for people aged 12 and older have reached 82.8 per cent for first doses and 73.8 for second doses.
Northern Health is holding vaccine clinics each Wednesday between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. at the Kitimat General Hospital’s multi-purpose room for booked appointments. People can drop-in between 4 p.m. and 7 p.m. between Aug. 19 and 26 for their first or second dose.
In Terrace, Northern Health is booking vaccine appointments at the Terrace Health Centre for first and second doses.
For more information or to book an appointment, visit the Northern Health website or call the provincial call centre at 1-833-838-2323.