The Kitimat Local Health Area (LHA) has not seen a change in the number of COVID-19 cases between September and October, according to the B.C. Centre for Disease Control (CDC).
According to data published by the CDC, the area is still at four reported cases since the pandemic began.
While the CDC reports every day or every other day on regional statistics and weekly for health service delivery areas, local numbers are only updated monthly. Health authorities are still not reporting numbers for individual communities.
READ MORE: Northern Health sees highest number of COVID-19 cases in one day
Those four cases give the Kitimat LHA an infection rate of under 50 per 100,000 population, putting it in the same category as the neighbouring LHA’s of Prince Rupert and Burns Lake, which have five and two cases, respectively.
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The Smithers LHA has one of the highest case increases in the Northwest, rising from 19 reported cases as of September to 42 as of October. This puts them in the ‘greater than 200 per 100,000 population’ category. Haida Gwaii is also in this category, with 27 reported cases as of October.
The Terrace LHA has had 20 cases (50.1-100 per 100,000 population), a small rise from their 18 cases reported as of September, and Nisga’a has two (100.1-150). The Upper Skeena LHA, which includes the Hazeltons, has had zero reported cases.
For the Northern Health Authority (NHA), Oct. 27 saw 14 cases, the highest number NHA has seen throughout the entire pandemic. Fourteen cases in one day was seen again recently on Nov. 6, with the highest number of cases after that being 10, seen on Nov. 10 and 11.
Previous to Oct. 27, the highest number of cases seen by NHA in one day was 12 cases on Sept. 15.
clare.rayment@northernsentinel.com
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