For the third week in a row, Castlegar has broke its record for new COVID-19 cases.
The city had 70 new cases for the week of Jan. 16 to 22, according to data provided by the B.C. Centre for Disease Control.
Castlegar saw 40 new cases from Jan. 2 to 8 and 69 cases from Jan. 9 to 15. For a three-week total of 179.
From the beginning of the pandemic through the end of December 2021 there were 417 confirmed cases in Castlegar. The new cases from the last three weeks brings that total to 596 — meaning 30 per cent of the city’s total cases have occurred in the last three weeks.
Nelson recorded 204 cases between Jan. 16 to 22, followed by Trail with 103 cases, Creston with 59, 15 in Grand Forks, nine in the Arrow Lakes area that includes Nakusp, and two in the Kootenay Lake area.
A COVID-19 outbreak was declared at Poplar Ridge Pavillion in Trail on Jan. 26 after seven residents tested positive for the virus.
It’s likely the latest weekly data is lower than the actual number of cases.
Only people with COVID-19 symptoms who are also at-risk of severe disease, or those who work in high-risk settings such as health care, are recommended to receive PCR tests. Provincial health agencies have also ceased contact tracing.
READ MORE: Hundreds in Nelson join truck protests against COVID-19 vaccine mandates
betsy.kline@castlegarnews.com
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