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
American millionaire Jonathan Lehrer denied bail after being charged with killing Canadian couple
American millionaire Jonathan Lehrer, one of two men charged in the killings of a Canadian couple in Dominica, has been denied bail.
LeBlanc says he plans to run in next election, under Trudeau's leadership
Cabinet minister Dominic LeBlanc says he plans to run in the next election as a candidate under Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's leadership, amid questions about his rumoured interest in succeeding his longtime friend for the top job.
Sports columnist apologizes for 'oafish' comments directed at Caitlin Clark. The controversy isn’t over
A male columnist has apologized for a cringeworthy moment during former University of Iowa superstar and college basketball’s highest scorer Caitlin Clark’s first news conference as an Indiana Fever player.
Health Canada to change sperm donor screening rules for men who have sex with men
Health Canada will change its longstanding policy restricting gay and bisexual men from donating to sperm banks in Canada, CTV News has learned. The federal health agency has adopted a revised directive removing the ban on gay, bisexual and other men who have sex with men, effective May 8.
U.S. vetoes a widely supported UN resolution backing full membership for Palestine
The United States has vetoed a widely backed UN resolution that would have paved the way for full United Nations membership for the state of Palestine.
Bayer recalls hydraSense baby product over 'potential contamination'
Bayer announced Thursday it is recalling two lots of its hydraSense Baby Nasal Care Easydose due to a potential contamination.
N.L. gardening store revives 19th century seed-packing machine
Technology from the 19th century has been brought out of retirement at a Newfoundland gardening store, as staff look for all the help they can get to fill orders during a busy season.
Cat found on Toronto Pearson airport runway 3 days after going missing
Kevin the cat has been reunited with his family after enduring a harrowing three-day ordeal while lost at Toronto Pearson International Airport earlier this week.
Grandparent scam suspects had ties to Italian organized crime, police allege
A group of suspects that allegedly defrauded seniors across Ontario and other parts of Canada using a so-called emergency grandparent scam appear to have ties to 'Italian traditional organized crime,' according to an investigator involved in the OPP-led probe.