84 new COVID-19 cases in North Van, West Van

There were 84 more cases of COVID-19 on the North Shore for the week ending Jan. 9 and 166 cases total for the North Shore-Coast Garibaldi Health region for the week ending Jan. 14, according to B.C.'s Centre for Disease Control.

Those numbers are up from the previous week, when 54 new coronavirus cases were reported on the North Shore. They would also likely include some new cases that resulted from social interactions over the Christmas break, as the virus has a potential 14-day incubation period.

Of the new cases on the North Shore, 56 cases were in North Vancouver and 28 cases were in West Vancouver. The numbers represent an infection rate of between 10 and 15 cases per day per 100,000 people on the North Shore.

As of Jan. 14, there have been 2,552 cases of the virus since the pandemic started in the North Shore-Coast Garibaldi health region – which Squamish, Whistler, the Sunshine Coast, Powell River and the Bella Coola Valley.

According to the B.C. Centre for Disease Control’s most recent situation report, the rates of COVID-19 within the Vancouver Coastal Health region have remained relatively stable recently.

The positivity rate of COVID-19 tests in the Vancouver Coastal Health region has recently about 4.5 per cent.

People aged 20 to 29 make up the largest group of those who test positive for coronavirus in B.C.

According to Dr. Bonnie Henry, B.C.’s medical health officer, most of the most recent COVID-19 cases have resulted from small social gatherings in private settings.