The community rollout of the COVID-19 vaccine is expected to start in the spring, starting with the most elderly and working down the age ranges from there. (]Frank Gunn/The Canadian Press)

By NanaimoNewsNOW Staff

covid-19 update

COVID-19 cases in Nanaimo nearly double in 1 week, area leads Island Health in cases

Feb 11, 2021 | 4:19 PM

NANAIMO — The central Vancouver Island area continues to remain a COVID-19 hotspot, especially in the Greater Nanaimo area.

Data from Island Health showed 17 new cases on Feb. 11, with 152 out of 220 active currently in the central Island area. The area has suffered nearly 1,100 cases since the pandemic began, compared to 538 to the south and 290 to the north. The 17 is down from the recent average of 26 new cases a day.

In the Greater Nanaimo area, the number of new cases found nearly doubled from the last week of January to the first week of February, with 93 cases discovered from Jan. 31 to Feb. 6.

Interim medical health officer Dr. Sandra Allison told NanaimoNewsNOW people in the area haven’t reduced their social circles after the expected loosening over the Christmas holiday.

“We do see ongoing reports from case investigations where individuals are having large social gatherings, or one day they visit this friend and the next day they visit these two friends. When you’re infectious and you have that many close contacts, that results in an awful lot of people being put in isolation.”

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She said Island Health contact tracers have sometimes had to tell up to 15 people they came in contact with someone in their social circle who was infectious with COVID-19.

Roughly 80 per cent of the cases involved in the large spike arose in those who’d been told to self-isolate.

Dr. Allison said this meant the spread would hopefully stop, but sporadic cases still arising in the community indicated not all the sources of transmission had been pinned down.

The high number of cases in the area corresponds with a significant number of school exposures throughout the Nanaimo-Ladysmith School District. Of the eight schools listed on Island Health’s school exposure page, seven are from the Nanaimo-Ladysmith School District.

Despite the sudden rise in new cases being discovered, Dr. Allison said she didn’t expect an even greater rise from Feb. 7 to 13 period.

“It looks like we have enough variability that I don’t think this is on an exponential rise. But it’s worrying enough.”

The BC CDC lists 23 people currently in an Island Health hospital for COVID-19, with seven receiving intensive care and 20 having passed away since the pandemic began.

There is a data discrepancy between Island Health and the province, based on the timing of COVID-19 results. NanaimoNewsNOW reports local verified data from Island Health.

Across B.C. a further 449 new COVID-19 cases with discovered. There’s currently 224 people in hospital with 63 in intensive care, similar to the day before.

Nine more people passed away, which is in line with the unfortunate fatalities seen throughout the end of January and early February.

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