The Central Okanagan subregion is where the most coronavirus cases are within the Interior Health area, according to data from the B.C. Centre of Disease Control.
It’s not a surprising statistic, given that the Greater Kelowna area is by far and away the most populous region in the Southern Interior.
Still, with 1,077 confirmed cases from January to November, the Central Okanagan featured a caseload that was six times greater than the next subregion, Kamloops at 176.
Next were Vernon at 85, Penticton at 66 and Revelstoke at 49.
Nelson (44), Cranbrook (35), Merritt (31), South Okanagan (29) and Fernie (25) rounded out the top 10 subregions for corornavirus caseload counts between January to November within Interior Health.
For more up-to-date statistics, from Dec. 4 to 10, there were 371 cases of coronavirus in the Okanagan region.
The Okanagan region is comprised of the following subregions: Central Okanagan, Summerland, Penticton, South Okanagan, Keremeos, Princeton, Vernon, Armstrong-Spallumcheen and Enderby.
During that same Dec. 4-10 timespan, there were 10 cases in Kootenay-Boundary, 14 in the East Kootenay and 30 in Thompson-Cariboo-Shuswap.
Without doubt, the number of cases within Interior Health can be confusing, considering local and provincial health officials are still not releasing case counts by city.
What’s easy to comprehend, though, is that the case counts are growing, and significantly so.
Just over two months ago, health officials said the Okanagan region was averaging a new case per day, with 15 new cases recorded between Sept. 18 to Oct. 1.
On Friday, Dec. 11, Interior Health announced 99 new overnight cases. The day prior, Thursday, Dec. 10, there were 82 new cases, with 81 cases announced on Wednesday, Dec. 9.
Those three days totalled 262 new cases — more than the 239 cases that occurred between Sept. 18 and Oct. 1.
One place that’s seen case growth is Penticton, which went from nine cases on Oct. 1 to 66 total cases at the end of November.
“The increase in cases we are seeing in the Penticton region reflect the broader increases we are seeing in the Okanagan, where we have the highest population density,” Interior Health said in an email to Global News.
“We know people travel between Okanagan communities — Penticton to Kelowna for example — for work. The increase cannot be attributed to isolated events or clusters. It’s another example of community spread.”
Interior Health added “this is why it’s important that all people should remain vigilant in following COVID-19 precautions and current public health orders: keep to your household bubble and avoid social gatherings, limit all non-essential travel, stay home when you are sick and get tested if you have any COVID-19 symptoms, practice physical distancing, wear a mask in indoor public spaces, and wash your hands often.”
Number of total cases per region, from Jan. 1 to Dec. 10:
- Okanagan: 1,887
- Thompson-Cariboo-Shuswap: 387
- East Kootenay: 139
- Kootenay Boundary: 89
Number of total cases per subregion, from January to November:
- Central Okanagan: 1,077
- Kamloops: 176
- Vernon: 85
- Penticton: 66
- Revelstoke: 49
- Nelson: 44
- Cranbrook: 35
- Merritt: 31
- South Okanagan: 29
- Fernie: 25
- Cariboo-Chilcotin: 22
- Salmon Arm: 22
- Golden: 19
- Summerland: 16
- 100 Mile House: 15
- South Cariboo: 15
- Trail: 15
- Windermere: 15
- Creston: 14
- Armstrong: 13
- Castlegar: 12
- Enderby: 12
- Lillooet: 4
- Grand Forks: 3
- Keremeos: 3
- Kettle Valley: 3
- Kimberley: 4
- Arrow Lakes: 2
- Princeton: 2
- Kootenay Lake: 1
- North Thompson: 0
To view the B.C. Centre of Disease Control’s coronavirus statistics, click here.
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