KELOWNA – Travel close to home, the folks were told.
So they went to Kelowna. They attended private parties, went to bars and the beach and restaurants.
Now 6 of those who went to frolic in Kelowna over the Canada Day weekend – while BC was still in Phase 2 of opening – have tested positive for Covid-19.
And two more from the Okanagan city have also tested positive for Covid-19.
“Of the eight cases identified to date, six are in individuals who reside outside of IH. IH continues to work with other jurisdictions to determine the source of disease for these cases.”
Interior Health was informed of the common denominator found during contact tracing and the health authority is alarmed.
“Interior Health is advising individuals who attended gatherings in the Kelowna downtown and waterfront areas from June 25 to July 6 that they may have been exposed to COVID- 19.”
“This advisory comes after IH’s communicable disease unit (CDU) has been made aware of a number of positive COVID-19 cases attending private gatherings and visiting businesses (restaurants, bars, etc.) over these dates,” interior health stated.
“Of specific concern are larger Canada Day and holiday weekend events.”
“Public health contact tracing is underway and, if IH is made aware of potential exposures to COVID- 19, our CDU will be reaching out directly to ask those individuals to self-isolate for 14 days.”
“However, given the number of cases and potential locations involved, we are urging anyone who participated in events over these dates to monitor closely for symptoms of COVID-19.”
The symptoms of COVID-19 include the following:
Fever, Cough, Shortness of breath or difficulty breathing, loss of sense of taste or smell.
Other milder symptoms may include: runny nose, fatigue, body aches (muscles and joints aching), diarrhea, headache, sore throat, vomiting and red eyes.
Anyone who develops COVID-19 symptoms is asked to get themselves tested for COVID-19.
These cases have likely been factored into figures already released that show BC infections have grown since opening wider on July 3.
