Whistler recorded 179 new cases of COVID-19 last week, according to Vancouver Coastal Health (VCH).
In an information bulletin Thursday, April 15, the health authority said the reported cases "continue to be among young adults who live and work in the Whistler community," with the most common transmission locations continuing to be in household settings and social gatherings.
Between Jan. 1 and April 11, Whistler has seen 1,685 COVID cases. Of those, 1,457 individuals have recovered and 14 were hospitalized.
Meanwhile, the Howe Sound health region continues to be a hotspot for COVID-19 transmission, with 337 new cases between April 3 and 10.
It’s the second highest weekly total for the health region, which includes Whistler, Pemberton, Squamish and parts of the southern Stl’atl’mx Nation, after tallying a record 410 COVID cases between March 28 to April 3, marking the highest transmission rate for any local health area in the province, according to the BC Centre for Disease Control.
Of particular concern is the proportion of P1 variant cases: As of March 30, there were 197 cases of the variant recorded in Whistler, with health officials estimating that the variant circulation peaked the week of March 22. No current variant numbers for Whistler are available from VCH.
Province-wide, provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry and B.C. health minister Adrian Dix said in a joint written statement this week that there are now 5,221 identified cases of the B.1.1.7, P1 and B.1.352 variants, 258 of which remain active.
During a recent briefing, Henry indicated “We are at approximately 50 per cent of cases across the province who now have one of the variants" but said Thursday that VCH health regions have seen more than 70 per cent of new cases linked to a variant of concern, with the P1 Brazil variant being the most common.
In response to a third wave of local cases, a mass vaccination campaign for Whistler’s adult residents and workers was launched on Monday, April 12. In a briefing Thursday, April 15, Henry said it was the the Howe Sound heath region's high average daily rate of new cases—which eclipsed all other B.C. health areas at close to 80 new cases per 100,000 for the week of April 7 to 13—that led to the mass immunization plan in Whistler.
"What stands out here of course is the local health area called Howe Sound and that includes Whistler, and this was one of the pieces of information that we used to address the outbreaks that were happening in Whistler since January, and we've seen this rate fluctuate," she said.
The vaccination clinic at the Whistler Conference Centre is open from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. until April 18. VCH is aiming to vaccinate all those eligible during this period.
Local adults 18 and over who work or have a primary residence in Whistler can book an appointment online to receive a Moderna or Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine.
Eligible adults will have to provide proof of their permanent Whistler address—such as a driver's license or credit card statement—or present a recent paystub for those who work locally but live outside of the community.
VCH noted that their data has shown that COVID infections, hospitalizations and deaths declined in B.C. care homes and among healthcare workers within two to three weeks of receiving their vaccine.
"All of the vaccines approved in Canada have been shown to significantly reduce the risk of severe disease and death associated with COVID-19 infection," Thursday's bulletin went on.
"VCH strongly advises residents in Whistler in our region to continue to follow public health guidelines, including those who have been vaccinated."
For more on the BC CDC's COVID-19 modelling, visit bccdc.ca/health-info/diseases-conditions/covid-19/modelling-projections.
This story has been updated since publication.
