Active COVID-19 cases in Delta dipped slightly last week after spiking by 40 over the two weeks previous.
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 38 cases for the week of Aug. 15 to 21, seven less than the 45 cases the week before.
Five weeks earlier (the week ending July 17), Delta marked the fewest active cases in the city (2) since the BC CDC began releasing LHA-level data on Dec. 5, 2020.
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The overall number of active cases in the Fraser Health region increased by 313 the week ending Aug. 21 (for a total of 1,092), the sixth time in seven weeks that case totals have increased after nearly three months of falling COVID numbers, and the first time numbers have topped 1,000 cases since the week ending May 29.
Ten of the 13 local health areas (LHAs) in the region saw increases from the previous week, notably in Surrey (252, up 97 from the previous week), Tri-Cities (150, up 64) and Burnaby (158, up 72).
Aside from Delta, only South Surrey-White Rock and Hope saw decreases, with 44 cases (down 15) and 15 cases (down two), respectively.
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Data shared on the BC CDC’s COVID-19 Surveillance Dashboard Tuesday shows Delta had an overall daily average of six new cases per 100,000 people for the week of Aug. 17 to 23, up from five the week before.
Broken down by community health service areas (CHSAs), that’s a rate of six cases per 100,000 people in North Delta (unchanged from the week before), seven in Ladner (up from five) and six in Tsawwassen (up from four). 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 previous five weeks. Delta is home to two per cent of the province’s population.
The overall test positivity rate in Delta for the week ending Aug. 23 was three per cent, unchanged from the week before, but the rates varied slightly between Delta’s three CHSAs.
North Delta had a rate of three per cent (down from four the week prior) while Ladner had a rate of three per cent (unchanged) and Tsawwassen had a rate of two per cent (unchanged).
Positivity rates were higher when looking only at public tests —four per cent for Delta as a whole (down from five), five per cent for North Delta (down from seven), four per cent for Ladner (unchanged) and four per cent for Tsawwassen (unchanged).
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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 Aug. 16, Delta continued to lead all other LHAs in Fraser Health with 89 per cent of adults aged 12 and over having received at least their first does of vaccine, unchanged from the week before. As well, 82 per cent of residents 12 and over have received their second dose as well, up two per cent from the week before.
Broken down by CHSA, that’s 89 per cent first dose coverage in North Delta (up one per cent from the week before), 91 per cent in Ladner (up one per cent), and 89 per cent in Tsawwassen (unchanged). In terms of second dose rates, that’s 82 per cent in North Delta (up four per cent), 84 per cent in Ladner (up one per cent) and 84 per cent in Tsawwassen (up one per cent).
New this week, the dashboard included vaccine coverage for kids aged 12-17. First dose rates for that age range were 83 per cent for Delta as a whole, 82 for North Delta, 85 for Ladner and 84 for Tsawwassen. Second dose rates were 71 per cent for Delta as a whole, 68 for North Delta, 74 for Ladner and 74 for Tsawwassen.
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Limited to adults 18 and over, first dose rates were 90 per cent for Delta as a whole (unchanged from the week before), 90 for North Delta (up one per cent), 91 for Ladner (unchanged) and 89 for Tsawwassen (unchanged). Second dose rates were 83 per cent for Delta as a whole (up two per cent), 81 for North Delta (up two per cent), 85 for Ladner (up one per cent) and 84 for Tsawwassen (unchanged).
Vaccine uptake was still markedly different between those 18-49 and those 50 and over, however.
For adults 50 and over, first dose coverage in Delta was 92 per cent (unchanged from the week previous). Broken down by CHSA, that’s 92 per cent in North Delta (unchanged), 93 in Ladner (unchanged) and 92 in Tsawwassen (unchanged). Second dose rates were 88 per cent for Delta as a whole (unchanged), 87 for North Delta (up one per cent), 90 for Ladner (up one per cent) and 89 for Tsawwassen (unchanged).
For those aged 18-49, first dose coverage was lower — 87 per cent for Delta overall (unchanged), 88 for North Delta (up one per cent), 88 for Ladner (unchanged) and 85 for Tsawwassen (up one per cent). Second dose rates were 77 per cent for Delta as a whole (up three per cent), 76 for North Delta (up two per cent), 79 for Ladner (up two per cent) and 76 for Tsawwassen (up one per cent).
After Delta, the other LHAs in the Fraser Health region with the highest first dose vaccine coverage for adults aged 12 and over are Surrey and New Westminster with 87 per cent (unchanged from the week before) followed by Burnaby (86 per cent, unchanged from the week before) and Tri-Cities (86, up one per cent), then South Surrey/White Rock (85 per cent, unchanged from the week before).
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On Aug. 5, the BC CDC posted an updated map showing total cumulative cases by local health area through to the end of June. The map shows there were a total of 4933 COVID-19 cases in Delta through to July 31, meaning there were only 26 new cases last month, compared to 92 in June, 488 in May, 990 in April and 614 in March.
The map also shows there were 189 new cases in Surrey, compared to 529 in June, 4,012 in May, 7,043 in April and 4,406 in March; and 771 new cases across the Fraser Health region, compared to 1,636 in June, 8,913 in May, 17,086 in April and 10,554 in March. Vancouver Coastal Health, meanwhile, had 424 new cases in July, compared to 563 in June, 2,833 in May, 7,497 in April and 5,726 in March.
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As of Thursday morning (Aug. 26), there were no outbreaks at any Delta long-term care, assisted living or independent living facilities. On Tuesday (Aug. 24), Fraser Health declared the outbreak at KinVillage in Tsawwassen over after a total of three cases (two residents and one staff member) at the “West Court” long-term care building.
READ MORE: COVID-19 outbreak at South Delta long-term care facility declared over (Aug. 24, 2021)
There were no public exposure notifications in the city, though there were four in Surrey, including an exposure event at the Guru Nanak Sikh Gurdwara on 120th Street between 10 a.m. and 12 p.m. on July 30. No Delta businesses had been temporarily closed due to COVID-19 spread among workers.
Meanwhile, Fraser Health’s website listed no exposures at any Delta 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.”
RELATED: B.C. teachers say back-to-school plan doesn’t address testing, ventilation concerns (Aug. 25, 2021)
SEE ALSO: Fraser Health says data review shows ‘limited’ COVID-19 transmission in Surrey schools (Aug. 25, 2021)
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