Spike in COVID cases in Vernon offsets overall decline in Interior Health

COIVD-19 cases in Vernon more than tripled last week while the overall daily case count went down in the Interior Health region.

During the week of May 23 to 29 – the most recent data posted on the B.C. Centre for Disease Control website – the number of new cases recorded in the Vernon Local Health Area jumped to 57 from 16 the week before.

Overall, cases in the Interior Health region fell to 310 from 334 the week before.

Central Okanagan cases dropped to 175 from 224, Kamloops declined slightly to 20 from 22 while Penticton’s cases were cut in half to six from 13. Cases in the South Okanagan went down by a similar amount, to five from 12.

The data also shows vaccination rates for the region hitting 61 to 80 per cent in Kamloops and the South Okanagan but only 41 to 60 per cent in the Central and North Okanagan.

In the Central Okanagan, most neighbourhoods are in the lower 41 to 60 per cent vaccination rate. Only the Okanagan Mission is higher at 61 to 80 per cent.

As of yesterday, June 2, there were 408 active COVID-19 cases in the Interior Health region with 15 people in hospital, eight of whom were in intensive care.

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