The number of COVID-19 cases in Maple Ridge and Pitt Meadows continues to climb, as the Delta variant spreads.

There were 78 cases in the local health area, according to the latest case maps from the BC Centre for Disease Control, which show the geographic distribution of cases. That’s up from 64 cases the week prior, and marks the fifth straight week were case counts have risen locally.

Case counts are also rising in neighbouring local health areas, with Langley going from 109 to 126 cases, Surrey from 252 to 300 cases, and Tri-Cities 150 to 187 cases.

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The CDC also continues to report vaccination progress in Maple Ridge and Pitt Meadows. In the age group 12-and-up, 83 per cent have now received their first shot of vaccine, and 76 per cent have received two doses. In the 50-and-over demographic, 89 per cent have one dose, and 85 per cent have two shots. The stats are effective Aug. 31, and show weekly improvement in each age group.

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The province recorded 785 cases of COVID-19 on Wednesday, as the province is in what provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry calls a “pandemic of the unvaccinated.” The summer surge has mostly impacted unvaccinated people in the 20-40 age demographic.

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