The roller coaster ride continues with Chilliwack’s COVID-19 case count, which is slowly heading back up after plummeting in early to mid-March.
The latest report from the BC Centre for Disease Control (BCCDC) noted 77 cases in Chilliwack’s local health area (LHA), up three from the previous report.
Chilliwack’s increase was extremely mild compared to other harder-hit areas of the province, Chilliwack now averages between 10.1 and 15 cases per 100,000.
RELATED: In Canada, U.S., vaccine ‘passports’ could be new point of cross-border contention
RELATED: B.C. bee supply threatened this year by wasps, COVID
That’s third worst of the six BCCDC categories, but still well below where Chilliwack was at its worst. There were 156 cases recorded between Dec. 27 and Jan. 2 and Chilliwack averaged more than 20 cases per 100,000 people at the time, making it one of B.C.’s true hot spots.
The latest report finds Chilliwack’s immediate neighbors trending in the wrong direction as well.
Agassiz’s LHA reported 14 cases, up from three last week. Hope went down slightly from seven to five cases.
The area west of Chilliwack is becoming a cluster of hot spots. Abbotsford hit 220 cases, up from 183 the week prior. Langley jumped from 198 to 222 cases. Just about all of Greater Vancouver has now hit hot spot status led by Surrey, which had a whopping 1,254 cases.
Smaller communities elsewhere in BC that continue to be problematic include the Upper Skeena, Nisga’a, Kitimat, Prince Rupert, Revelstoke, Windermere, Peace River south and north, Howe Sound and the Bella Coola Valley.
Note: Previous numbers used in this story were incorrect and have been updated.