COVID-19 cases spike in health region that includes Squamish

There has been a new spike in the number of COVID-19 cases in the health region that Squamish is part of.

There were 50 new infections in the Coast Garibaldi health region for the two-week period, from August 7 to 20.

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

The data from this two-week period was released by the British Columbia Centre for Disease Control (BCCDC) recently.

Since January 1, there have been 338 cases of COVID-19 in the Coast Garibaldi Health Region, which is part of the Vancouver Coastal Health region.

Since the start of the pandemic, there have been 1,569 cases of COVID-19 in the entire Vancouver Coastal Health region.

Although the number of COVID-19 cases in the Vancouver Coastal Health region is down among the seniors who are most impacted by it, the disease is still gaining ground among millennials.

According to data compiled by VCH’s Public Health Surveillance Unit, people aged 20-39 represent the biggest increase of test positive cases in the region since June 24.

For most young adults, COVID-19 causes very mild illness, VCH says, but they might spread the virus to seniors and others at risk of more serious disease.

In an effort to reach millennials and those younger, Vancouver Coastal Health has launched a new campaign that includes a series of COVID-safe summer guides with tips for visiting restaurants, getting together with friends, playing recreational sports, going on road trips, going to the beach and COVID-safe sex.

A poster campaign and a TikTok video series of do’s and don’ts are also aimed at preventing the spread of the virus.

Meanwhile, police and other provincial enforcement officers are now also being given the power to issue $2,000 violation tickets for owners or organizers contravening the Provincial Health Officer’s (PHO) order on gatherings and events.

$200 violation ticket can also be issued to individuals not following the direction of police or enforcement staff at events or those who refuse to comply with requests to follow orders or safe operating procedures or respond with abusive behaviour.