As B.C. continues its recent COVID-19 spike, which has included a stint of broken daily case-count records, it appears the north is staying on its course of a low infection rate.
In the latest two-week update by the BC Centre for Disease Control (BCCDC), Oct. 9 to 22, a total of 35 positive tests were recorded in Northern Health’s jurisdiction, a decrease of 10 compared to the previous count, Sept. 25 to Oct. 8, when the collective region touted 45 new cases of the virus.
For the northern interior, which includes Prince George, the number was cut in half to 11 cases in the last 14 days as opposed to 22 in the data prior.
This combined for a total of 33 COVID-19 cases in the last month; September, as a whole, saw 20 specifically to Prince George’s local health area.
Since the start of COVID-19 in B.C., the northern interior has reported 123 cases, the northeast with 137, the highest among the three regions, and the northwest with 81.
The BC Centre for Disease Control's Health Service Delivery Area map, Oct. 9 to 22. (via BCCDC)In the past two weeks, Northern Health announced its first public exposure on Oct. 13, which potentially took place Oct. 2-3 concerning a passenger(s) using Prince George Taxi between 6 p.m. and 6 a.m. on both dates.
Three days earlier, Prince George Secondary School became the first School District 57 (SD57) institution to be potentially exposed to the virus, also on Oct. 2.
Seven schools in northern B.C. have been placed on exposure watch since students returned to the classroom; Quesnel Junior Secondary has been listed twice.
As of Thursday (Oct. 22), Northern Health has tallied 365 positive infections since the authority’s first virus-linked case in March, which has included three deaths, 31 hospitalizations and 349 recoveries.
Currently, there are 13 active cases and one person in critical care.
In terms of testing, there have been 26,859 conducted to date, which, in comparison to Northern Health’s most recent population report (2019-20), equates to 9.4 per cent of the regional residents.
Northern Health's COVID-19 distribution by age, Oct. 23, 2020. (via BCCDC)
