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Active COVID-19 cases in Delta decreased again last week

Delta had 22 cases for the week of Oct. 31 to Nov. 6, eight fewer than the week before
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This map illustrates the number of active COVID-19 cases in Greater Vancouver from Oct. 31 to Nov. 6, 2021. (BC Centre for Disease Control image)

The number of active COVID-19 cases in Delta dropped again last week.

The latest weekly map released by the BC Centre for Disease Control showing the geographic distribution of COVID-19 cases by local health area (LHA) of residence shows Delta had 22 cases for the week of Oct. 31 to Nov. 6, eight fewer than the 30 cases the week before.

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The overall number of active cases in the Fraser Health region decreased significantly last week — 1,305 compared to 1,661 the week before, a drop of 356 — making it the twelfth week in a row of 1,000+ cases. Before that, cases hadn’t topped 1,000 since the week ending May 29.

All but four of the 13 local health areas (LHAs) in the region saw decreases from the previous week, most notably in Surrey (249, down 83 from the week before), Abbotsford (239, down 146) and Chilliwack (158, down 44).

Three LHAs saw tiny increases — South Surrey/White Rock (72, up two), New Westminster (35, up two) and Hope (12, up one) — while Agassiz-Harrison saw no change, holding steady at 14 cases.

THE LATEST: 555 new COVID cases, 11 deaths recorded in B.C. (Nov. 10, 2021)

SEE ALSO: Health Canada authorizes booster shot using Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine for all adults (Nov. 9, 2021)

Data shared on the BC CDC’s COVID-19 Surveillance Dashboard shows Delta had an overall daily average of three new cases per 100,000 people for the week of Nov. 8, unchanged from the week before.

Broken down by community health service areas (CHSAs), that’s a rate of three cases per 100,000 people in North Delta (unchanged from the week before), three in Ladner (down from four) and one in Tsawwassen (down from two). The CHSA of Tsawwassen is comprised of both the Delta community and the Tsawwassen First Nation.

Delta’s total case count over that time frame represented one per cent of cases in B.C. that week, unchanged from the week before. Delta is home to two per cent of the province’s population.

The overall test positivity rate in Delta for the week Nov. 8 was one per cent, down from two per cent the week before, but the rates varied somewhat between Delta’s three CHSAs.

North Delta’s rate was two per cent, unchanged from the week prior, while Ladner’s rate was two per cent (up from one) and Tsawwassen’s was one per cent (unchanged).

Positivity rates were a bit higher when looking only at public tests — two per cent for Delta as a whole (unchanged), three per cent for North Delta (unchanged), two per cent for Ladner (unchanged) and one per cent for Tsawwassen (unchanged).

SEE ALSO: Lack of demographic data leaving potential gaps in COVID-19 vaccine policy (Nov. 9, 2021)

SEE ALSO: Province requires proof of vaccination for acute care visitors as of Nov. 9 (Nov. 8, 2021)

The dashboard also shows breakdowns of vaccine coverage across the CHSAs by age (12+, 12-17, 18+, 18-49 and 50+) and by whether people have received their first or second dose.

As of Nov. 8, Delta continued to lead all other LHAs in Fraser Health with 95 per cent of adults aged 12 and over having received at least their first does of vaccine, up one per cent from the week before. Delta also led in second doses among residents 12 and over — 91 per cent, unchanged from the week before.

Broken down by CHSA, that’s 95 per cent first dose coverage in North Delta (unchanged from the week before), 95 per cent in Ladner (unchanged), and 93 per cent in Tsawwassen (unchanged). In terms of second dose rates, that’s 91 per cent in North Delta (up one per cent), 93 per cent in Ladner (up one per cent) and 91 per cent in Tsawwassen (up one per cent).

First dose rates were virtually identical when limited to adults 18 and over: 95 per cent for Delta as a whole (unchanged from the week before), 95 for North Delta (unchanged), 95 for Ladner (unchanged) and 93 for Tsawwassen (unchanged). Second dose rates were also similar: 92 per cent for Delta as a whole (up one per cent), 91 for North Delta (unchanged), 93 for Ladner (up one per cent) and 91 for Tsawwassen (unchanged).

For kids aged 12-17, first dose rates as of Nov. 8 were 94 per cent for Delta as a whole (up one per cent), 93 for North Delta (up one per cent), 98 for Ladner (unchanged) and 93 for Tsawwassen (up one per cent). Second dose rates were 89 per cent for Delta as a whole (up one per cent), 87 for North Delta (up one per cent), 94 for Ladner (up one per cent) and 88 for Tsawwassen (up one per cent).

RELATED: Canada could authorize vaccine for kids 5-11 in ‘one to two weeks’ (Nov. 12, 2021)

SEE ALSO: B.C. to offer single-dose JJ vaccine to unvaccinated health-care workers first (Nov. 10, 2021)

First dose rates were nearly the same for those 18-49 and those 50 and over, and the groups’ second dose rates are growing closer every week.

For adults 50 and over, first dose coverage in Delta was 94 per cent (unchanged from the week previous). Broken down by CHSA, that’s 94 per cent in North Delta (unchanged), 95 in Ladner (unchanged) and 95 in Tsawwassen (up one per cent). Second dose rates were 93 per cent for Delta as a whole (up one per cent), 92 for North Delta (unchanged), 94 for Ladner (up one per cent) and 93 for Tsawwassen (unchanged).

For those aged 18-49, first dose coverage was 95 per cent for Delta overall (unchanged), 96 for North Delta (unchanged), 95 for Ladner (unchanged) and 91 for Tsawwassen (unchanged). Second dose rates were lower — 91 per cent for Delta as a whole (up one per cent), 91 for North Delta (up one per cent), 91 for Ladner (up one per cent) and 88 for Tsawwassen (up one per cent).

Other than Delta, the Fraser Health LHA with the highest first dose vaccine coverage for adults aged 12 and over was Surrey with 94 per cent (unchanged from the week before). The next highest were Burnaby and New Westminster with 93, (both unchanged), followed by Tri-Cities (91, unchanged) and South Surrey/White Rock (90, unchanged).

Rankings were virtually the same when it came to second dose rates: Surrey, Burnaby and New Westminster were all at 90 per cent (up one per cent from the week before), followed by Tri-Cities (88 per cent, unchanged) and South Surrey/White Rock (87 per cent, unchanged).

SEE ALSO: Proof of vaccination required for City of Delta employees, volunteers (Nov. 9, 2021)

SEE ALSO: City of Surrey requiring staff, volunteers, contractors to be vaccinated against COVID-19 (Nov. 8, 2021)

On Nov. 3, the BC CDC posted an updated map showing total cumulative cases by local health area through to the end of October. The map shows there were a total of 5,559 COVID-19 cases in Delta through to Oct. 31, meaning there were 210 new cases last month, compared to 193 in September, 223 in August, 26 in July, 92 in June, 488 in May, 990 in April and 614 in March.

The map also shows there were 1,462 new cases in Surrey in October, compared to 1,357 in September, 980 in August, 189 in July, 529 in June, 4,012 in May, 7,043 in April and 4,406 in March.

For the Fraser Health region as a whole, there were 7,478 new cases of COVID-19 in October, compared to 6,792 in September, 4,478 in August, 771 in July, 1,636 in June, 8,913 in May, 17,086 in April and 10,554 in March.

Vancouver Coastal Health, meanwhile, had 1,977 new cases in October, compared to 2,696 in September, 2,787 in August, 424 in July, compared to 563 in June, 2,833 in May, 7,497 in April and 5,726 in March.

As of Friday morning (Nov. 12), there were no outbreaks at any Delta long-term care, assisted living or independent living facilities, there were no public exposure notifications in the city, and no Delta businesses had been temporarily closed due to COVID-19 spread among workers.

Also as of Friday, Fraser Health’s website listed exposures at only one Delta school: Immaculate Conception (Nov. 2, 3 and 4).

Fraser Health defines exposure as “a single person with lab-confirmed COVID-19 infection who attended school during their infectious period.” Two or more individuals is defined as a cluster, while an outbreak describes a situation involving “multiple individuals with lab-confirmed COVID-19 infections when transmission is likely widespread within the school setting.”

SEE ALSO: More B.C. health care workers getting COVID-19 vaccine to return to work (Nov. 9, 2021)

SEE ALSO: Non-essential traffic resumes into U.S. for fully vaccinated Canadians (Nov. 8, 2021)



editor@northdeltareporter.com

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James Smith

About the Author: James Smith

James Smith is the founding editor of the North Delta Reporter.
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