COVID-19 map data: Hotspots cooling, but other regions may be starting to heat up
The latest geographic data on the COVID-19 pandemic in B.C. shows cases in the province's hottest hotspots trending downward, while some parts of the Interior and Metro Vancouver are headed in the wrong direction.
The B.C. Centre for Disease Control's COVID-19 surveillance dashboard was updated Tuesday with case information from the week of May 25 to 31.
In terms of the total number of infections detected during the week, the City of Surrey unsurprisingly leads the way.
While the dashboard doesn't include the exact number of cases recorded in the city during the time period, it includes a graph that shows more than 400 new infections were detected in the local health area that includes most of Surrey between May 25 and 31.
On a per-capita basis, Surrey does not see the highest level of coronavirus transmission in the province. That distinction goes to the Fort Nelson local health area in B.C.'s northeast corner.
Fort Nelson saw 25 cases per 100,000 residents between May 25 and 31, more than any other region of the province. As a whole, Surrey saw just 11 cases per 100,000 during the week in question, though certain neighbourhoods had higher per-capita rates.
The North Surrey community health service area saw 20 cases per 100,000 residents, according to the dashboard. Neighbouring Whalley saw 18 per 100,000 during the week in question.
Though case numbers in Surrey and Fort Nelson - and other hotspots such as Abbotsford, South Vancouver and Peace River North - remain high, they've been declining significantly over the last 14 days.
Fort Nelson's total of 25 cases per 100,000 residents is 10 fewer cases per 100,000 than the region saw during the week of May 18 to 24.
Surrey's 11 cases per 100,000 are down from 17 the week before, and other hotspots saw similar drops.
Abbotsford dropped from 20 to 10, South Vancouver dropped from 11 to seven and Peace River North dropped from 22 to 18.
In fact, every local health area in both the Northern and Fraser health authorities saw either a decline in per-capita cases or no change during the week of May 25 to 31.
Vancouver Coastal Health and Interior Health fared more poorly during the week. Four of the 14 local health areas in Vancouver Coastal Health saw increases in their case rates per 100,000 residents, as did nine of the 31 local health areas in Interior Health.
North Vancouver saw the worst jump in per-capita cases in the Lower Mainland, doubling from four per 100,000 during the week of May 18 to 24 to eight per 100,000 during the most recent week.
In the Interior, Vernon went from four cases per 100,000 to 10, Cranbrook went from zero to six and Windermere went from zero to five.
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