The Whistler Medical Clinic (WMC) has seen “a small but significant” increase in COVID cases in the past week, according to a local doctor who is urging the community to follow the necessary health protocols as we head into the colder months.
“We’ve seen such few cases for such a long time—they’re very low numbers. And then just in the past week or so, it seems to be picking up a little bit,” said Dr. Olivia Bayley, “so we felt now was a good time to put the message out that there is now some community transmission in Whistler, and therefore just to encourage people to go back to trying to follow the [BC Centre for Disease Control] guidance.”
Bayley reached out to Pique after the recent uptick in cases, which she believed could be due to an increase in private gatherings, a trend that has been noted elsewhere in the province as well.
“Certainly Fraser Health saw a big increase in numbers around Thanksgiving and gatherings ... Perhaps it’s the same here with more indoor gatherings,” she theorized.
On Wednesday, Nov. 4, health officials announced another 335 new cases of COVID-19, setting another provincial record for active cases, at 3,120.
Getting a handle on cases locally is much trickier, as Vancouver Coastal Health does not publicize numbers in smaller communities unless “it is necessary to inform the public about a potential exposure,” a spokesperson wrote to Pique earlier this week. “In cases where Public Health is able to contact all cases and close contacts directly and we determine there is no ongoing risk to the public, we will not issue a notification or provide details to protect a patient’s privacy rights.”
Loblaw, the parent company of Shoppers Drug Mart, announced this week that an employee from the Shoppers Drug Mart in Whistler Village tested positive for the virus. The employee last worked at the location on Oct. 28, according to the company.
No Shoppers stores are currently listed by either Fraser Health or Vancouver Coastal Health as public exposure locations.
“Looking at the numbers we’ve had over the past week, with a number of cases every day, it’s easy to imagine that, in a few weeks time, we could be seeing much larger numbers,” Bayley noted. “Once community transmission begins, it’s easy to imagine it taking off.”
Dr. Fern von der Porten with the Whistler Health Care Centre declined to comment on local transmission rates, but reiterated in an email that “This is a time to be extremely careful, especially with social contacts. Hoping that everybody will be wise enough to wear a mask anytime they are within two metres of anybody other than the six people in their bubble.To protect others and yourself, remember to always wear a mask when you’re out at stores and in the community.”
Following the appropriate health guidelines is even more essential as Whistler heads into a winter season that is bound to look different than any in recent memory.
“I think there’s the potential for this to really disrupt winter in Whistler, meaning businesses having to shut down temporarily, or you can even imagine the mountain being shut down,” Bayley noted. “For those young people who perhaps don’t know many elderly or vulnerable people in Whistler, maybe that’s not a big worry for them, but the disruption of their work or the ski season would be a big worry for them.”
To learn more about COVID-19 health protocols, visit covid-19.bccdc.ca.
