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Active COVID-19 cases in Delta down slightly last week

56 cases the week ending Oct. 23; nine of 13 Fraser Health local health areas saw a rise in cases
26940944_web1_211028-NDR-M-Active-cases-by-LHA-Oct-17-to-23
This map illustrates the number of active COVID-19 cases in Greater Vancouver from Oct. 17 to 23, 2021. (BC Centre for Disease Control image)

Active COVID-19 cases in Delta were down slightly 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 56 cases for the week of Oct. 17 to 23, nine fewer than the 64 cases the week before.

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The overall number of active cases in the Fraser Health region increased by 99 last week — 1,730 compared to 1,631 the week before — making it the tenth week in a row of 1,000+ cases. Before that, cases hadn’t topped 1,000 since the week ending May 29.

Only four of the 13 local health areas (LHAs) in the region saw decreases from the previous week: Delta, Langley (227, down 16 from the week before), Mission (54, down 12) and Hope (13, down 7).

The largest increases in the number of cases were seen in Surrey (357, up 39), South Surrey/White Rock (81, up 23) and Chilliwack (236, up 21).

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SEE ALSO: FHA chief medical health officer suspects booster shots against COVID-19 ‘probably’ new reality (Oct. 27, 2021)

Data shared on the BC CDC’s COVID-19 Surveillance Dashboard Tuesday shows Delta had an overall daily average of seven new cases per 100,000 people for the week of Oct. 25, unchanged from the week before.

Broken down by community health service areas (CHSAs), that’s a rate of eight cases per 100,000 people in North Delta (up from five the week before), six in Ladner (down from 10) and five in Tsawwassen (down from nine). 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 Oct. 25 was three per cent, unchanged from the week before, but the rates varied somewhat between Delta’s three CHSAs.

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

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

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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 Oct. 25, Delta continued to lead all other LHAs in Fraser Health with 94 per cent of adults aged 12 and over having received at least their first does of vaccine, unchanged from the week before. Delta also led in second doses among residents 12 and over — 90 per cent, up one per cent from the week before.

Broken down by CHSA, that’s 94 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 89 per cent in North Delta (up one per cent), 92 per cent in Ladner (up one per cent) and 90 per cent in Tsawwassen (up one per cent).

First dose rates were virtually identical when limited to adults 18 and over: 94 per cent for Delta as a whole (unchanged from the week before), 95 for North Delta (up one per cent), 95 for Ladner (unchanged) and 93 for Tsawwassen (unchanged). Second dose rates were also similar: 90 per cent for Delta as a whole (up one per cent), 90 for North Delta (up one per cent), 92 for Ladner (up one per cent) and 90 for Tsawwassen (up one per cent).

For kids aged 12-17, first dose rates as of Oct. 25 were 93 per cent for Delta as a whole (up one per cent), 92 for North Delta (up one per cent), 97 for Ladner (up one per cent) and 92 for Tsawwassen (unchanged). Second dose rates were 87 per cent for Delta as a whole (up two per cent), 85 for North Delta (up two per cent), 92 for Ladner (up two per cent) and 87for Tsawwassen (up one per cent).

SEE ALSO: COVID-19 booster shot to be available to all British Columbians 12 and older by May 2022 (Oct. 26, 2021)

SEE ALSO: Confused about COVID-19 booster shots? Here’s what you need to know (Oct. 27, 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 (up one per cent), 95 in Ladner (unchanged) and 94 in Tsawwassen (unchanged). Second dose rates were 92 per cent for Delta as a whole (unchanged), 91 for North Delta (unchanged), 93 for Ladner (unchanged) and 93 for Tsawwassen (up one per cent).

For those aged 18-49, first dose coverage was 95 per cent for Delta overall (up one per cent), 95 for North Delta (unchanged), 95 for Ladner (up one per cent) and 91 for Tsawwassen (unchanged). Second dose rates were lower — 88 per cent for Delta as a whole (up one per cent), 89 for North Delta (up two per cent), 89 for Ladner (up one per cent) and 86 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 (up one per cent from the week before). The next highest were Burnaby and New Westminster with 93, (both up one per cent), followed by Tri-Cities (91, up one per cent) and South Surrey/White Rock (90, up one per cent).

Rankings were virtually the same when it came to second dose rates: Surrey, Burnaby and New Westminster were all at 88 per cent, followed by Tri-Cities (87 per cent) and South Surrey/White Rock (86 per cent).

SEE ALSO: Workers who lose jobs over COVID vaccine mandates will not be eligible for lockdown benefit (Oct. 26, 2021)

SEE ALSO: No FHA health care workers ‘terminated’ yet for not getting COVID-19 vaccine, Brodkin says (Oct. 28, 2021)

On Oct. 6, the BC CDC posted an updated map showing total cumulative cases by local health area through to the end of September. The map shows there were a total of 5,349 COVID-19 cases in Delta through to Sept. 30, meaning there were 193 new cases last month, compared to 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 1,357 new cases in Surrey in September, compared to 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 6,792 new cases of COVID-19 in September, compared to 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 2,696 new cases in September, compared to 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 Thursday morning (Oct. 28), 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 Thursday, Fraser Health’s website listed exposures at three Delta schools: Hawthorne Elementary (Oct. 13 and 14), Hellings Elementary (Oct. 13, 14, 15, 18 and 19) and Ladner Elementary (Oct. 13, 14 and 15).

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.”

RELATED: Teachers’ union calls for more speed, clarity on COVID-19 exposures (Oct. 25, 2021)

SEE ALSO: 36 times more likely to die: B.C. CDC data lays out risks of COVID for the unvaccinated (Oct. 27, 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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