The weather in the Cariboo has brought not only the cold and snow but also an increased risk for COVID-19, according to Interior Health.
“I think we are expecting to see more cases unfortunately as the weather gets colder,” Dr. Silvina Mema, a medical health officer with Interior Health Region said.
“As the weather gets colder, people are gathering now indoors,” she continued. “In the summer, you could go outside or have a gathering outside, and in the winter, people stay together and may move gatherings inside, and that is a concern.”
Infections caused by respiratory viruses, including influenza and some coronaviruses, swell in the winter and drop in summer. Researchers say it’s too early if the COVID-19 pandemic will be similar.
“We have seen that some viruses spread in the winter months and in the cold, and that is very typical of influenza,” she said. “It spreads during the fall and winter months. There may be a component to the virus that it may be coming back in the winter months. That’s the concern we have, and for those reasons, we want individuals to continue to comply with the measures.”
Mema added that Interior Health wants people to keep their bubbles small and stick to people you know, and if you are gathering inside, avoid the larger meetings.
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