Only 2 regions of B.C. had COVID-19 test positivity rates of 10% or lower last week
With B.C.'s COVID-19 testing system at capacity due to the Omicron variant, the province has prioritized tests for those most in need of them, sending test positivity rates skyrocketing.
According to data from the B.C. Centre for Disease Control's COVID-19 Surveillance Dashboard, there were only two local health areas in the province where test positivity was 10 per cent or lower between Jan. 4 and 10.
Indeed, only a handful of regions saw less than 20 per cent positivity during the seven-day period.
The lowest rate for the week belonged to Interior Health's Kettle Valley region, where just five per cent of publicly funded tests came back positive. The only other region where fewer than 11 per cent of tests were positive was Kootenay Lake, which saw a 10 per cent positivity rate, according to the BCCDC.
Notably, Kettle Valley and Kootenay Lake are among the least populous local health areas in all of B.C. They are the eighth and ninth smallest of the province's 89 local health areas, according to 2021 provincial population estimates, with roughly 3,600 residents each.
Small populations alone can't account for their relatively lower rates of COVID-19 transmission, however. The three smallest local health areas in the province - Snow Country, Stikine and Telegraph Creek, which are grouped together on the BCCDC map because of their low populations - had a positivity rate of 28 per cent during the week in question.
That total is much more in line with the test positivity rate seen province-wide during the seven days shown on the map. From Jan. 4 to 10, B.C.'s rolling seven-day average for test positivity ranged from 23.1 per cent to 24.1 per cent, according to BCCDC data.
Of course, many regions of the province saw much higher test positivity rates over the week.
Forty-five per cent of tests in the local health area that encompasses the City of Richmond came back positive during the period, as did 45 per cent of tests in the Vancouver - Northeast local health area.
In the area that includes most of the City of Surrey, 43 per cent of tests were positive. Rates also topped 40 per cent in two of the other local five health areas that make up the City of Vancouver, as well as in the Tri-Cities and Maple Ridge-Pitt Meadows local health areas.
In the Interior, positivity was 48 per cent in the Revelstoke local health area, 44 per cent in Fernie and 43 per cent in Summerland and Nelson.
Northern Health saw its highest rates in Kitimat, where 51 per cent of tests came back positive, and Smithers (49 per cent).
On Vancouver Island, the Vancouver Island North local health area led the way, with 46 per cent positivity. Greater Victoria and the neighbouring Western Communities local health area also topped 40 per cent, at 44 and 42 per cent, respectively.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Young people 'tortured' if stolen vehicle operations fail, Montreal police tell MPs
One day after a Montreal police officer fired gunshots at a suspect in a stolen vehicle, senior officers were telling parliamentarians that organized crime groups are recruiting people as young as 15 in the city to steal cars so that they can be shipped overseas.
Mandisa, Grammy award-winning 'American Idol' alum, dead at 47
Soulful gospel artist Mandisa, a Grammy-winning singer who got her start as a contestant on 'American Idol' in 2006, has died, according to a statement on her verified social media. She was 47.
Man sets self on fire outside New York court where Trump trial underway
A man set himself on fire on Friday outside the New York courthouse where Donald Trump's historic hush-money trial was taking place as jury selection wrapped up, but officials said he did not appear to have been targeting Trump.
Sask. father found guilty of withholding daughter to prevent her from getting COVID-19 vaccine
Michael Gordon Jackson, a Saskatchewan man accused of abducting his daughter to prevent her from getting a COVID-19 vaccine, has been found guilty for contravention of a custody order.
She set out to find a husband in a year. Then she matched with a guy on a dating app on the other side of the world
Scottish comedian Samantha Hannah was working on a comedy show about finding a husband when Toby Hunter came into her life. What happened next surprised them both.
Shivering for health: The myths and truths of ice baths explained
In a climate of social media-endorsed wellness rituals, plunging into cold water has promised to aid muscle recovery, enhance mental health and support immune system function. But the evidence of such benefits sits on thin ice, according to researchers.
'It could be catastrophic': Woman says natural supplement contained hidden painkiller drug
A Manitoba woman thought she found a miracle natural supplement, but said a hidden ingredient wreaked havoc on her health.
'It was joy': Trapped B.C. orca calf eats seal meat, putting rescue on hold
A rescue operation for an orca calf trapped in a remote tidal lagoon off Vancouver Island has been put on hold after it started eating seal meat thrown in the water for what is believed to be the first time.
Manitoba mom praises quick-thinking fire department for freeing daughter stuck in playground equipment
A Manitoba mother is praising firefighters for their quick work in helping her daughter who got stuck at a playground in Lorette, Man.