Interior Health (IH) has declared that the Revelstoke COVID-19 is “contained.” An IH spokesperson said that means that IH saw no new cases associated with the original cluster, and very few new cases in the community overall.
In a Dec. 11 statement, IH said there were a total of 50 cases in the cluster, the same number it reported on Dec. 8, meaning there haven’t been new cases recorded since then.
As of Dec. 11, there are 12 active cases in the Revelstoke LHA, with 38 people listed as recovered. In its Dec. 8 update, Interior Health (IH) said there were 14 active cases and 36 recovered.
No patients have been hospitalized as a result of the Revelstoke COVID-19 cluster.
Interior Health said that “all cases” associated with the cluster “received appropriate follow-up” and that contacts of “each confirmed case were identified through contact tracing and also received direction from public health.”
An IH spokesperson said the health authority will no longer provide updates on the Revelstoke cluster. On Dec. 10, provincial health authorities announced they would be updating Local Health Areas (LHA) on a weekly basis. Until then, they had been providing updates on the Revelstoke LHA once a month, a week to almost two weeks after the end of the calendar month.
“Our public health teams remain dedicated to limiting exposures to COVID-19,” said Dr. Karin Goodison, IH medical health officer in a statement. “We were fortunate to keep cases in Revelstoke away from our most vulnerable populations, but COVID-19 continues to have devastating impacts to individuals and families across B.C. We know how challenging our current restrictions are. We cannot lose sight that these public health measures are in place to protect us and those we love.”
Goodison reminded residents to continue following public health orders.
“A small number of cases in Revelstoke are still expected,” Interior Health said in a statement. When asked for clarification on this statement, a spokesperson said that meant that new cases are possible here during the current wave of COVID-19, as they would be anywhere, and noted that the Revelstoke cluster saw 13 cases in one day and 50 cases in about a month. “While this may not be unexpected in a larger centre, we considered this a clustering of cases in Revelstoke.”
“The end of the cluster does not mean people should let down their guard. Everyone in in all communities should remain vigilant in following COVID-19 precautions and current public health orders,” IH said in a statement.
Interior Health CEO Susan Brown thanked residents and others for their help containing the cluster. “We can reduce the risk of exposure in our communities if everyone is doing their part in taking the ongoing measures from our public health leaders and teams.”
The Revelstoke cluster includes all COVID-19 cases in the Revelstoke LHA since November, and does not include the three cases previously listed in the LHA from the early months of the pandemic.
For all revelstokemountaineer.com stories on the COVID-19 cluster, see our COVID-19 archives page here.
Interior Health COVID-19 update for Dec. 11
IH reported 99 new cases on Dec. 11, bringing the total to 2,601. There are 758 active cases. 20 people are in hospital and the total number of deaths is unchanged at six.
B.C. COVID-19 update for Dec. 11
The Office of the Provincial Health Officer reported 737 new cases of COVID-19 in B.C. There are 9,589 active cases and a total of 40,797 cases. 342 residents are hospitalized, of which 87 are in intensive care.
Province announces weekly updates for Local Health Areas
On December 10, the Provincial Health Officer, Dr. Bonnie Henry, announced the B.C. Centre for Disease Control will be providing weekly updates on COVID-19 data for Local Health Areas (LHA). Previously, the government only provided the data monthly, a week or up to almost two weeks after the calendar month ended. Now, numbers for the Revelstoke LHA, one of 89 across B.C., will receive weekly data on Wednesdays. For more details, see this revelstokemountaineer.com story about the change from Dec. 10.
Province to update Local Health Area COVID-19 data weekly, November Revelstoke data now available
Revelstoke Food Bank seeks donations as demand soars
The Revelstoke Food Bank has seen demand almost triple, has had to cut key food drives due to COVID-19 restrictions, and has lost some volunteers who have to stay away because they are in at-risk groups.
Find out about transitions at the food bank and ways you can help in this story from Dec. 10.
Revelstoke Food Bank seeks community support as demand soars while COVID-19 limits food drives