B.C.'s second most-populous health authority has the lowest number of new COVID-19 cases in latest update
One of the most populated health authorities in British Columbia also had the fewest new cases of COVID-19 in the latest update from the health ministry.
On Friday, the ministry said 83 cases of the disease had been recorded in Vancouver Coastal Health in the 24-hour period between updates.
That's out of the 768 added to the province's tally of total confirmed cases.
Vancouver Coastal Health represents 1,193,977 patients in total, according to provincial population estimates from the most recent year available: 2019.
In terms of population it is second only to Fraser Health, which has 1,906,933 patients under its authority.
Fraser Health had 239 new cases, according to Friday's update – nearly three times that of Vancouver Coastal.
The Interior Health Authority, with about 827,300 people, saw another 183 cases confirmed through testing by Friday's update, followed by 161 in Northern Health (population: 284,300) and 102 in Island Health (858,800).
Still, daily case results are not the best indicator of how the disease is spreading in B.C.
While relatively few new cases were noted in the region that includes the City of Vancouver, the authority is still dealing with more than 1,000 active cases.
It's a lower number than the active cases in the Fraser and Interior health authorities (1,846 and 1,499), but still higher than the other two (933 in Northern Health, and 700 in Island Health).
And four deaths were noted in Vancouver, compared to two in Fraser Health. Five people died of COVID-19 in the Interior between Thursday's and Friday's updates.
Friday's update marked the deadliest 24 hours in the pandemic since February.
Vancouver Coastal Health is also dealing with multiple health-care facility outbreaks, though Fraser Health has more than any other health region at the moment, and Island Health is the only authority without at least one.
Mapping from the B.C. Centre for Disease Control breaks vaccination rates into local health area, not the broader health authorities.
From the data, which was last updated Monday, it appears the rate of people aged 12 and older with both doses of COVID-19 vaccine is lowest in the following LHAs:
- Peace River South (49 per cent);
- Peace River North (50 per cent);
- Nechako (58 per cent);
- Enderby (59 per cent);
- Creston (60 per cent); and
- Kettle Valley (60 per cent).
The areas with the highest vaccination coverage are:
- Central Coast (90 per cent);
- Saanich Peninsula (88 per cent);
- Vancouver-Midtown (87 per cent);
- Vancouver-Northeast (87 per cent);
- North Vancouver (86 per cent);
- Delta (85 per cent);
- Vancouver City Centre (84 per cent);
- New Westminster (83 per cent);
- Vancouver Westside (83 per cent);
- Burnaby (82 per cent);
- Richmond (82 per cent);
- Tri-Cities (82 per cent);
- Howe Sound (81 per cent);
- South Surrey/White Rock (81 per cent);
- Surrey (81 per cent); and
- West Vancouver/Bowen Island (81 per cent).
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Widow looking for answers after Quebec man dies in Texas Ironman competition
The widow of a Quebec man who died competing in an Ironman competition is looking for answers.
Tom Mulcair: Park littered with trash after 'pilot project' is perfect symbol of Trudeau governance
Former NDP leader Tom Mulcair says that what's happening now in a trash-littered federal park in Quebec is a perfect metaphor for how the Trudeau government runs things.
World seeing near breakdown of international law amid wars in Gaza and Ukraine, Amnesty says
The world is seeing a near breakdown of international law amid flagrant rule-breaking in Gaza and Ukraine, multiplying armed conflicts, the rise of authoritarianism and huge rights violations in Sudan, Ethiopia and Myanmar, Amnesty International warned Wednesday as it published its annual report.
Photographer alleges he was forced to watch Megan Thee Stallion have sex and was unfairly fired
A photographer who worked for Megan Thee Stallion said in a lawsuit filed Tuesday that he was forced to watch her have sex, was unfairly fired soon after and was abused as her employee.
Amid concerns over 'collateral damage' Trudeau, Freeland defend capital gains tax change
Facing pushback from physicians and businesspeople over the coming increase to the capital gains inclusion rate, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and his deputy Chrystia Freeland are standing by their plan to target Canada's highest earners.
U.S. Senate passes bill forcing TikTok's parent company to sell or face ban, sends to Biden for signature
The Senate passed legislation Tuesday that would force TikTok's China-based parent company to sell the social media platform under the threat of a ban, a contentious move by U.S. lawmakers that's expected to face legal challenges.
Wildfire southwest of Peace River spurs evacuation order
People living near a wildfire burning about 15 kilometres southwest of Peace River are being told to evacuate their homes.
U.S. Senate overwhelmingly passes aid for Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan with big bipartisan vote
The U.S. Senate has passed US$95 billion in war aid to Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan, sending the legislation to President Joe Biden after months of delays and contentious debate over how involved the United States should be in foreign wars.
'My stomach dropped': Winnipeg man speaks out after being criminally harassed following single online date
A Winnipeg man said a single date gone wrong led to years of criminal harassment, false arrests, stress and depression.