Oceanside saw 20 COVID-19 cases between Jan. 3 and Feb. 6, including nine in the first week of February, according to Island Health.
The infection rate remains low, but increased significantly after just three cases in the first half of January.
Oceanside averaged below five cases per hundred thousand people, contrasted with the 10-15 cases per hundred thousand recorded by Greater Nanaimo in the same time period.
“Greater Nanaimo is continuing a worrying trend with the total number of new cases increasing for four consecutive weeks. For the week of Jan. 31 – Feb. 6, the 93 new cases in Greater Nanaimo were nearly double the number from the previous week,” reads a media release from Island Health.
The health authority said 68 per cent of Island Health’s active cases are in the central island region, which includes Greater Nanaimo, the Cowichan Valley, Oceanside and Alberni-Clayoquot.
Some local health areas, such as Cowichan Valley South, have seen their curve flatten and begin to bend down, according to Island Health.
“People should be reassured that our contact tracing investigations are generally not finding widespread community transmission,” the release said.
Island Health said its public health teams have noted a trend of an increased number of contacts and reports of larger and more frequent social gatherings.
