Another week has gone by without any new COVID-19 cases diagnosed in Castlegar, making it five weeks since the last confirmed case.
The latest data released by the BC Centre for Disease Control shows that for the week of Jan. 31 - Feb. 6 there were no new cases in town. It also shows there were no new cases in Nelson, Grand Forks, Trail, and Creston.
There were also no new cases diagnosed in the entire Kootenay Boundary health service area for the week of Feb. 5 - 11, bringing the total cases since Jan. 1, 2020 to 203. Ours was the only health service area in the province with zero cases for the week.
The cumulative number of confirmed COVID-19 cases from January 2020 through January 2021 for Castlegar was 18, Nelson/Salmo had 72 and Trail had 19.
The Kootenay Boundary region continues to have one of the lowest COVID-19 positive rates in the province.
In the East Kootenay health service area, the cluster of cases centered around Fernie is dying down with only a few active cases remaining. Since Jan. 1, 2021, there have been 97 people that have tested positive for COVID-19 in that city.
Interior Health says most of the transmission related to the Fernie community cluster has occurred at social events and gatherings and everyone is reminded that socialization must be limited to immediate household bubbles.
Editor’s note: The BCCDC updates cumulative health service area (Kootenay Boundary region) figures monthly and local health area (city) numbers weekly, but one week behind.