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Active COVID-19 cases in Delta up again last week

64 cases the week ending Oct. 16; only 3 of 13 Fraser Health local health areas saw rise in cases
26859858_web1_211021-NDR-M-Active-cases-by-LHA-Oct-10-to-16
This map illustrates the number of active COVID-19 cases in Greater Vancouver from Oct. 10 to 16, 2021. (BC Centre for Disease Control image)

Active COVID-19 cases in Delta went up again last week, matching the number of cases from two weeks prior.

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 64 cases for the week of Oct. 10 to 16, 25 more than the 39 cases the week before and virtually the same as the 65 cases the week of Oct. 2.

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The overall number of active cases in the Fraser Health region also decreased by 149 last week — 1,631 compared to 1,780 the week before. Though it was the second week of declining numbers in the region, last week was still the ninth week in a row of 1,000+ cases. Before that, cases hadn’t topped 1,000 since the week ending May 29.

Only three of the 13 local health areas (LHAs) in the region saw increases from the previous week, the largest in Abbotsford (288, up 44 from the week before). Other than Delta, the only other LHA to see an increase was Langley (243, up 15).

THE LATEST: B.C. reports 696 new COVID cases, 6 deaths on Wednesday (Oct. 20, 2021)

SEE ALSO: B.C. to lift capacity limits for indoor ticketed, organized events as of Oct. 25 (Oct. 19, 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. 18, up one from the week before.

Broken down by community health service areas (CHSAs), that’s a rate of five cases per 100,000 people in North Delta (down from six the week before), 10 in Ladner (unchanged) and nine in Tsawwassen (up from three). 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. 18 was three per cent, up from two the week before, but the rates varied somewhat between Delta’s three CHSAs.

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

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

RELATED: COVID-19 cases in B.C. kids under 12 have peaked, in decline (Oct. 19, 2021)

SEE ALSO: Delta updates proof of vaccination, mask requirements (Oct. 19, 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 Oct. 18, 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. As well, 89 per cent of residents 12 and over have received their second dose as well, 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 (up one per cent), and 93 per cent in Tsawwassen (unchanged). In terms of second dose rates, that’s 88 per cent in North Delta (up one per cent), 91 per cent in Ladner (up one per cent) and 89 per cent in Tsawwassen (unchangede).

Limited to adults 18 and over, first dose rates were 94 per cent for Delta as a whole (unchanged from the week before), 94 for North Delta (unchanged), 95 for Ladner (up two per cent) and 93 for Tsawwassen (unchanged). Second dose rates were 89 per cent for Delta as a whole (unchanged), 89 for North Delta (up one per cent), 91 for Ladner (up one per cent) and 89 for Tsawwassen (unchanged).

The dashboard also includes vaccine coverage for kids aged 12-17. First dose rates for that age range as of Oct. 18 were 92 per cent for Delta as a whole (unchanged), 91 for North Delta (unchanged), 96 for Ladner (up one per cent) and 92 for Tsawwassen (up one per cent). Second dose rates were 85 per cent for Delta as a whole (up one per cent), 83 for North Delta (up one per cent), 90 for Ladner (up two per cent) and 86 for Tsawwassen (up one per cent).

SEE ALSO: Mandatory COVID vaccines for B.C. kids ‘not something we’re considering’: Dr. Henry (Oct. 19, 2021)

SEE ALSO: Trudeau unveils Canada’s new COVID vaccine passport for domestic, international travel (Oct. 21, 2021)

First dose rates were nearly the same for those 18-49 and those 50 and over, though second dose rates were markedly different between the two groups.

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 93 per cent in North Delta (unchanged), 95 in Ladner (unchanged) and 94 in Tsawwassen (unchanged). Second dose rates were 92 per cent for Delta as a whole (up one per cent), 91 for North Delta (up one per cent), 93 for Ladner (unchanged) and 92 for Tsawwassen (unchanged).

For those aged 18-49, first dose coverage was 94 per cent for Delta overall (unchanged), 95 for North Delta (unchanged), 94 for Ladner (unchanged) and 91 for Tsawwassen (up one per cent). Second dose rates were lower — 87 per cent for Delta as a whole (up one per cent), 87 for North Delta (up one per cent), 88 for Ladner (up one per cent) and 85 for Tsawwassen (up one per cent).

After Delta, the Fraser Health LHA with the highest first dose vaccine coverage for adults aged 12 and over was Surrey with 93 per cent (unchanged from the week before). The next highest were Burnaby and New Westminster with 92, (both unchanged), followed by Tri-Cities (90, unchanged) and South Surrey/White Rock (89, unchanged).

RELATED: 86.4% of eligible Surrey residents are fully vaccinated (Oct. 21, 2021)

SEE ALSO: 18 tickets issued, 1,266 COVID-related complaints received in B.C. over vaccine cards (Oct. 21, 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. 21), there were no outbreaks at any Delta long-term care, assisted living or independent living facilities

On Oct. 15, Fraser Health declared the outbreak at Good Samaritan Delta View Care Centre in East Delta over. The outbreak was limited to two cases, one resident and one staff member.

READ MORE: COVID-19 outbreak at East Delta long-term care facility declared over (Oct. 18, 2021)

Meanwhile, there were no public exposure notifications in the city, and no Delta businesses had been temporarily closed due to COVID-19 spread among workers.

As of Thursday, Fraser Health’s website listed exposures at six Delta schools: Beach Grove Elementary (Oct. 12), Cougar Canyon Elementary (Oct. 7 and 8), Hawthorne Elementary (Oct. 8, 12, 13 and 14), Holly Elementary (Oct. 7 and 8), Ladner Elementary (Oct. 13, 14 and 15) and Sands Secondary (Oct. 8).

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: Current COVID benefits to end Oct. 23, but new targeted aid will be available until May: Freeland (Oct. 21, 2021)

SEE ALSO: Making travel plans? Pack your federal and B.C. vaccine cards, Horgan says (Oct. 21, 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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