New data from the BC Centre for Disease Control shows the Kamloops area had more COVID-19 cases reported than the Kelowna area last week.

There were 226 cases in the Kamloops local health area – which includes the City of Kamloops as well as Logan Lake, Savona, Tobiano, Chase, Sun Peaks, Barriere, Little Fort and communities in between – during the week of Sept. 26 and Oct. 2, with 223 cases in the Central Okanagan.

Cases in the Kamloops area reached a record 270 during the week of Sept. 5 to 11, before dropping to 158 the week of Sept. 12 to 18. Then came two successive weeks of increases to 219 cases between Sept. 19 and 25, and 226 cases last week.

Week-over-week, the Merritt LHA also saw a steep rise in new cases last week to 43, compared to 23 a week earlier. There were also an average daily rate of more than 20 COVID-19 cases per 100,000 people in the Cariboo/Chilcotin (89), Salmon Arm (60), 100 Mile (42), the South Cariboo (12), and Lillooet (10).

The Vernon area reported 64 cases last week with four cases also in the North Thompson.

Case counts also remain extremely high on a per-capita basis in northern B.C., with the Prince George local health area reporting 328 cases, with Surrey in Fraser Health close behind at 325, though it has a much larger population.

High case counts were also reported in the Fraser Valley, particularly in the Chilliwack and Abbotsford area.

Across B.C., only Vancouver Island West, parts of the Central Coast, and Kootenay Lake local health area reported no new cases last week.

A full map of last week’s COVID-19 case count by locations can be found here.