14 cases of COVID-19 in two weeks in Squamish health region

There were 14 cases of COVID-19 reported in the past two weeks in the North Shore Coast Garibaldi Health Region, which includes Squamish.

The Coast Garibaldi area of the Vancouver Coastal Health Authority includes Squamish, Whistler, and Pemberton, and the Sunshine Coast communities of Gibsons, Sechelt, and Powell River as well as the North Shore.

The data from July 30 to August 6 was released by the British Columbia Centre for Disease Control (BCCDC) yesterday.

Since the beginning of the year, there have been 284 cases in the North Shore Coast Garibaldi Region. The highest number, 850 cases, was reported from Fraser South region, which includes Delta, Langley, Surrey and White Rock. It is followed by Vancouver region, with 736 cases..

BCCDC, however, warns that not all COVID-19 infected individuals are tested and reported. The health authority also says the virus might be circulating undetected in the community, including in areas where no cases have been identified by public health.

The number of cases remains the highest in the Lower Mainland, and the most likely source remains contact with a local case or a cluster. The median age of cases decreases slightly from 48 to 46 years of age.

BCCDC says new hospital admissions and deaths remain low. The number of cases currently in hospital and critical care too remains low. This may be due to the younger age of recently reported cases.

The BC outbreak trajectory remained favourable compared to other provinces and countries, the agency said.