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COVID-19 cases in Delta hold steady for third straight week

Delta had 23 cases for the week of Nov. 14 to 20; 176 fewer cases across the Fraser Health region
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This map illustrates the number of active COVID-19 cases in Greater Vancouver from Nov. 14 to 20, 2021. (BC Centre for Disease Control image)

Active COVID-19 cases in Delta held steady again last week as the total number of cases in the region fell to under 1,000 for the first time since since August.

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 23 cases for the week of Nov. 14 to 20 — virtually unchanged for three straight weeks.

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The overall number of active cases in the Fraser Health region decreased significantly again last week — 953 compared to 1,129 the week before, a drop of 176. It was the first time in 13 weeks that Fraser Health saw fewer than 1,000 cases, and the lowest total since Aug. 21 (1,092).

All but three of the 13 local health areas (LHAs) in the region saw decreases from the previous week, most notably in Abbotsford (197, down 72 from the week before), Chilliwack (69, down 53) and Tri-Cities (71, down 30).

LHAs that saw increases last week were Maple Ridge/Pitt Meadows (95, up 26), Surrey (159, up 19) and Delta (23, up 1).

THE LATEST: B.C. records 9 more deaths, 322 new COVID-19 infections Wednesday (Nov. 24, 2021)

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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. 22, unchanged from the week before.

Broken down by community health service areas (CHSAs), that’s a rate of two cases per 100,000 people in North Delta (down from three the week before), four in Ladner (up from two) and five in Tsawwassen (up 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. 22 was one per cent, unchanged from the week before, but the rates varied somewhat between Delta’s three CHSAs.

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

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

SEE ALSO: Ottawa to drop need for COVID-19 test after short-term U.S. visits as of Nov. 30 (Nov. 19, 2021)

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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 Nov. 22, 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, unchanged from the week before. Delta also led in second doses among residents 12 and over — 92 per cent, also 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), 96 per cent in Ladner (unchanged), and 94 per cent in Tsawwassen (unchanged). In terms of second dose rates, that’s 92 per cent in North Delta (unchanged), 94 per cent in Ladner (up one per cent) and 92 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), 96 for North Delta (up one per cent), 96 for Ladner (up one per cent) and 94 for Tsawwassen (unchanged). Second dose rates were also similar: 93 per cent for Delta as a whole (up one per cent), 93 for North Delta (up one per cent), 93 for Ladner (unchanged) and 92 for Tsawwassen (up one per cent).

For kids aged 12-17, first dose rates as of Nov. 22 were 94 per cent for Delta as a whole (unchanged), 93 for North Delta (unchanged), 98 for Ladner (unchanged) and 93 for Tsawwassen (unchanged). Second dose rates were 90 per cent for Delta as a whole (up one per cent), 88 for North Delta (unchanged), 95 for Ladner (up one per cent) and 89 for Tsawwassen (unchanged).

RELATED: COVID-19 shots arriving Monday for B.C. 5- to 11-year-olds (Nov. 24, 2021)

First dose rates were nearly the same for those 18-49 and those 50 and over.

For adults 50 and over, first dose coverage in Delta was 95 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 (unchanged). Second dose rates were 93 per cent for Delta as a whole (unchanged), 92 for North Delta (unchanged), 94 for Ladner (unchanged) and 93 for Tsawwassen (unchanged).

For those aged 18-49, first dose coverage was 96 per cent for Delta overall (unchanged), 97 for North Delta (unchanged), 96 for Ladner (unchanged) and 92 for Tsawwassen (unchanged). Second dose rates were lower — 92 per cent for Delta as a whole (up one per cent), 93 for North Delta (up one per cent), 93 for Ladner (up one per cent) and 89 for Tsawwassen (up one per cent).

The dashboard now also includes third dose/booster coverage for those 70 and over, and the overall rate for Delta the week of Nov. 22 was 32 per cent. Broken down by CHSA, that’s 25 per cent in North Delta, 36 in Ladner and 39 in Tsawwassen.

RELATED: Be sure you’re registered for COVID-19 boosters, B.C. seniors advised (Nov. 23, 2021)

Other than Delta, the Fraser Health LHA with the highest first dose vaccine coverage for adults aged 12 and over was Surrey with 95 per cent (unchanged from the week before). The next highest were Burnaby and New Westminster with 94 (unchanged and up one per cent, respectively), followed by Tri-Cities with 92 (unchanged) and South Surrey/White Rock with 91 (unchanged).

When it came to second dose rates, the rankings after Delta were: Burnaby (92, up one per cent), Surrey and New Westminster (91, both up one per cent), Tri-Cities (89, unchanged) and South Surrey/White Rock (88, unchanged).

RELATED: Vaccination rates in Surrey slow down (Nov. 25, 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 Thursday morning (Nov. 22), 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 no exposures at any Delta public or private schools.

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 scrutiny needed of TikTok’s reach, influence on public health: B.C. researchers (Nov. 25, 2021)

SEE ALSO: Canada has thrown away at least one million COVID-19 vaccine doses: survey (Nov. 19, 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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