The Kamloops local health area saw a rise in COVID-19 cases over the past week, as cases rise modestly through much of Interior Health.

There were 48 cases between March 28 and April 3 in the Kamloops LHA, which also includes Barriere, Little Fort, Sun Peaks, Chase, Logan Lake, Tobiano and Savona. That’s compared to 30 cases for the Kamloops LHA between March 21-27.

Other parts of IH that saw a week-over-week spike in cases were the Central Okanagan, with cases rising from 141 to 214 last week, as well as Vernon, with cases rising from 21 to 33. In the East Kootenays, Windermere also saw a significant spike, from two to 24 cases week-over-week.

Meanwhile, new cases in the Merritt LHA went down substantially, with six new cases between March 28 and April 3. The week prior saw 22 cases in the area.

Among local health areas in the Interior, new cases last week were also minimal in the South Cariboo (one), 100 Mile (one) and Cariboo Chilcotin (one), and there were zero cases in the North Thompson.

The provincial hot zone continues to be Metro Vancouver, Howe Sound and the Fraser Valley.

Last week alone, there were 410 new COVID-19 cases in Howe Sound, which includes Whistler where health officials have said there’s been significant spread of the P.1 Brazil variant. In total, all jurisdictions in the Lower Mainland from Howe Sound through the Fraser Valley, except Richmond, Chilliwack and Hope, saw at least 15 new cases per 100,000 people last week.