The COVID-19 case count rose sharply in the Creston Valley, with local numbers this high not seen since the pandemic began.
“We have had nine active COVID19 cases in the past 7 days,” Dr. Nerine Kleinhans shared in a public Facebook post. “This is, as you know, the largest number of cases so far. The ages ranges from 21 to 51. Thankfully, the majority are recovering, but we have one patient who has been admitted to hospital.”
According to the B.C. Centre for Disease Control (BCCDC), the Creston Valley had only seen 22 cumulative cases from January 2020 to February of 2021. Nine cases have since been reported in the week leading up to April 7th, 2021.
The rise in cases, especially for those in a younger demographic, is not unique to Creston. Though there has been no confirmation of any COVID-19 variants in Creston, the province has seen more cases, including variants, affect younger people.
Although the higher case counts among younger demographics are cause for concern, the steep decline of hospitalizations and deaths among the elderly points to positive vaccination outcomes.
Since vaccination efforts targeting the elderly began, the weekly number of deaths in 80+ year olds decreased by 88%, while the number of weekly deaths for 70-79-year olds decreased by 83%.