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14 new cases of COVID-19 reported in North Shore health region

Number reported in recent two-week time-frame creeping upwards

As the number of new COVID-19 cases continues to rise in B.C., the province’s Centre for Disease Control reported there were 14 new cases of COVID-19 recorded in the North Shore Coast Garibaldi health region between July 30 and Aug. 6.

The numbers come as case counts have been rising, particularly in the Lower Mainland.

Earlier this summer, between July 9 and 16, just four new cases were reported in the North Shore health region. There were also periods between the beginning of June and beginning of July when no new cases were reported in the North Shore area for several weeks.

The number of new cases on the North Shore still remains relatively low compared to other areas. Vancouver reported 51 new cases during the same two-week period while three different areas of the Fraser Health region reported between 44 and 122 cases each.

This week, health officials voiced concern about the increasing number of new cases in the Lower Mainland – many of them linked to parties attended by people in their twenties and thirties. The majority of new cases have occurred in the Fraser Health region and cases in people under 30 represent the largest increase in new cases, according to the B.C. Centre for Disease Control.

COVID map Aug6
A map showing the geographical breakdown of COVID-19 cases in B.C. The map on the right represents new cases between July 24 and Aug. 6. image BCCDC

Between Saturday and Monday, 131 new cases were reported in the province. A further 46 cases were reported between Monday and Tuesday.

That’s too many, said Health Minister Adrian Dix on Monday, adding as case numbers increase there is always the risk the virus will spread to people who are health care workers, who will bring it to vulnerable populations.

“We need to say enough to private parties . . .” said Dix. “You simply have to say no.”

Despite the uptick in the number of new cases, most of those have been linked to exposures that health officials know about, and are people already being monitored by public health, rather than random occurrences, said Dr. Bonnie Henry, B.C.’s medical health officer.

The number of hospital admissions in B.C. also remains low, with eight people in hospital with COVID-19 on Tuesday. Three of those are in the Vancouver Coastal Health region.

There have been 284 cases in the North Shore health region – which includes North and West Vancouver, Squamish, Whistler and the Sea-to-Sky corridor, plus the Sunshine Coast and Powell River - since the pandemic started in January.