By Roy L Hales
Though the number of active cases within Island Health is still relatively small, they have doubled in a little over a week.
The increase is especially marked in North Vancouver Island, where they went from 10 to 56 in seven days.
Increase of active cases in North Vancouver Island - compiled from Island Health data by Roy L Hales
A seven-fold increase
More detailed information for the Greater Campbell River Health Area is always at least 4 days old. However there has been a seven-fold increase in the numbers. There were 7 cases during the week ending on Saturday, February 20th. A week prior to this, there was one.
Screenshot from the Local Health Area map for the week of Feb 14-20, 2021 - courtesy BC Centre for Disease Control
The Spike has been even worse in the Comox Valley, where the number of cases has grown from one to 32 over the past four weeks.
North Vancouver Island data compiled from Island Health by Roy L Hales
Increase in school exposures
Three Courtenay schools, two from Campbell River and one in Comox are currently listed on Island Health’s school exposure page.
North Island Medical Health Officer Dr. Charmaine Enns told Victoria News, “Schools are just a portion of a community. So when you have increasing COVID in a community, it will be reflected in schools. It’s inevitable. Schools are part of a community. But schools are consistently not amplifying transmission. They are not responsible for COVID. They are just a reflection of the background of COVID in a community.”
Data compiled from Island Health’s school exposure page by Roy L Hales
Not a time for social gatherings
She added, “I would like to remind people that this is not the time for large social gatherings, and please, especially, do not socialize or go to work sick,” she said. “If we would all do what we need to do – go to work, go to school, and don’t do all that other stuff in between – we will limit transmission in the larger community.”
Overall statistics
There are currently 16 Vancouver Island residents in the hospital and 5 in critical care. 1,941 people have recovered from COVID and 24 have died.
These numbers pale beside the global statistics. CNN reports that 2.5 million people have now died because of the pandemic, with the worst reports coming from the United States, Brazil and Mexico. The number of deaths in these nations is 506,000, 250,000 and 183,000, respectively.