Skip to content

North Okanagan-Shuswap COVID-19 numbers avoid provincial spikes

Enderby, Revelstoke highest in terms of per-capita weekly increases, but still relatively small
24786695_web1_210414-SAA-Covid-NOk-Shuswap
Covid-19 numbers have been rising for some communities in the North Okanagan-Shuswap but not like the increases seen recently in the Lower Mainland and Central Okanagan. (BC Centre for Disease Control image)

Salmon Arm and Vernon have so far escaped the COVID-19 jumps that Kelowna is experiencing.

In the North Okanagan-Shuswap, the number of new cases per week is rising again slightly for most communities, with Revelstoke and Enderby leading the per-capita increases.

The Central Okanagan, which includes Kelowna, saw its highest weekly increase since December with 214 cases during the first week of April. New cases in the North Okanagan-Shuswap have been heading gradually upwards, compared to the first week of March when most weekly numbers were at their lowest.

During the week of March 28 to April 3, the most recent period released by the BC Centre for Disease Control (BCCDC), Revelstoke’s new cases had risen to 25 from just three during Feb. 28 to March 6. Similarly, Enderby’s were also in the per-capita high zone, rising from one to 11.

In Salmon Arm, which registered just two new cases during the first week of March, the count rose from two to 11. Vernon was sitting at eight new cases during the first week of March but rose to 33 during the first week of April.

Armstrong’s numbers increased from one to four new cases.

To the west, Kamloops numbers did a zigzag, with 100 new cases in the first week of March, down to 30 in the last week of March and up to 48 in the first week of April.

Merritt has also had its ups and downs, with five new cases in the first week of March followed by a high of 22 in the last week of that month and back down to six in the first week of April.

Read more: B.C.’s COVID-19 case count up to 1,068 on Tuesday

Read more: Weekly COVID-19 numbers in the Central Okanagan highest since December

Cumulative totals that list all reported cases per local health area, not just new ones, are provided at the end of each month.

During the 15 months from January 2020 to March 2021, total reported cases in the North Okanagan-Shuswap were as follows: Vernon - 695; Salmon Arm - 281; Revelstoke - 253; Enderby - 67 and Armstrong - 62.

The total for the Central Okanagan, which includes Kelowna, was 3,441, Kamloops - 1,496 and Merritt - 242.

The Salmon Arm numbers include Sicamous, Malakwa, Sorrento, Tappen and Falkland, while Vernon’s include Coldstream, Lumby and Cherryville. The Enderby health area includes Grindrod, Mara and Kingfisher, while Armstrong’s includes Spallumcheen.

Maps and data can be found at the BCCDC website at http://www.bccdc.ca/health-info/diseases-conditions/covid-19/data.



martha.wickett@saobserver.net
Like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter


Martha Wickett

About the Author: Martha Wickett

came to Salmon Arm in May of 2004 to work at the Observer. I was looking for a change from the hustle and bustle of the Lower Mainland, where I had spent more than a decade working in community newspapers.
Read more