Surrey recorded fewer than 5 new cases of COVID-19 for every 100K residents last week
For the first time since the B.C. government began publishing weekly geographic data on COVID-19 infections last December, the per-capita case rate in Surrey has dropped below five cases per 100,000 residents.
The weekly case map published Wednesday on the B.C. Centre for Disease Control website shows the number of new coronavirus cases recorded in each of the province's "local health areas" during the week of June 6 to 12.
During that period, the local health area that includes most of the City of Surrey saw a total of 172 newly diagnosed cases of COVID-19. That's equivalent to fewer than five new cases per 100,000 residents, the lowest per-capita case range shown on the map, other than zero.
Surrey has long been at the centre of the COVID-19 pandemic in B.C., routinely accounting for the largest number of new cases of any local health area, as well as the highest per-capita caseload.
Between January 2020 and May 31 of this year, Surrey saw a total of 37,158 coronavirus cases, or more than 25 per cent of the 144,289 cases recorded across the entire province as of that date.
Neighbourhood-level data first leaked in May and later released publicly by the BCCDC showed that, within Surrey, it was specifically central, northern and western areas that had the highest rates of COVID-19 transmission.
The most recent neighbourhood-level data published on the BCCDC's COVID-19 surveillance dashboard shows that disparities within Surrey persist, but every neighbourhood was in the less-than-five-cases-per-100,000-residents category between June 8 and 14.
Surrey's per-capita total on the latest map puts it at a lower rate of COVID-19 transmission than several other regions of the province, including the Abbotsford and Maple Ridge/Pitt Meadows local health areas in the Lower Mainland, which each saw between five and 10 cases per 100,000 residents during the week shown on the map.
Elsewhere in B.C., there was only one local health area that saw more than 10 cases per 100,000 residents between June 6 and 12: The Windermere region in Interior Health.
That local health area saw a total of eight new infections during the week in question, but its small population means the per-capita case rate is the highest in B.C. on the latest map.
The declining number of coronavirus cases in B.C. reflects growing immunity in communities around the province. As of June 14, according to the BCCDC dashboard, there were only two local health areas in B.C. where fewer than half of residents ages 12 and older had received at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine.
Those regions, Peace River North and South, have 47 and 48 per cent first-dose vaccination rates, respectively. Looking only at adults ages 18 and older, the rate in both areas rises to 50 per cent.
Province-wide, nearly 75 per cent of people ages 12 and older have received at least a first shot, as have more than 76 per cent of adults.
The BCCDC dashboard offers reasons for caution, however, with several regions seeing significant jumps in per-capita case rates in recent weeks.
The largest increases were in Interior Health, where the Kootenay Lake region saw 15 cases per 100,000 residents from June 8 to 14, up from zero cases per 100,000 the week before.
The rate also increased significantly in Merritt (from zero to 10 per 100,000), Windermere (from five to 10) and South Cariboo (from zero to eight).
Elsewhere, at least one local health area in each of B.C.'s five health authorities has seen its per-capita caseload increase in recent weeks, despite the downward trajectory of the province's overall numbers.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Grandparent scam: London, Ont., senior beats fraudsters not once, but twice
It was a typical Tuesday for Mabel Beharrell, 84, until she got the call that would turn her world upside down. Her teenaged grandson was in trouble and needed her help.
Deaths of 4 people on Sask. farm confirmed as murder-suicide
The deaths of four people on a farm near the Saskatchewan village of Neudorf have been confirmed a murder-suicide.
CRA no longer requiring 'bare trust' reporting in 2023 tax return
The Canada Revenue Agency announced Thursday it will not require 'bare trust' reporting from Canadians that it introduced for the 2024 tax season, just four days before the April 2 deadline.
Full parole granted to man convicted in notorious 'McDonald's murders' in Cape Breton
The Parole Board of Canada has granted full parole to one of three men convicted in the brutal murders of three McDonald's restaurant workers in Cape Breton more than 30 years ago.
Incident on Calgary's Reconciliation Bridge comes to safe resolution
Nearly 20 hours after a man climbed and remained perched on top of the Reconciliation Bridge in downtown Calgary, the situation came to a peaceful resolution.
Sunshine list: These were the Ontario public sector's highest earners in 2023
Ontario released its annual sunshine list Thursday afternoon, noting that the largest year-over-year increases were in hospitals, municipalities, and post-secondary sectors.
George Washington family secrets revealed by DNA from unmarked 19th century graves
Genetic analysis has shed light on a long-standing mystery surrounding the fates of U.S. President George Washington's younger brother Samuel and his kin.
'We won't forget': How some Muslims view Poilievre's stance on Israel-Hamas war
A spokesman for a regional Muslim advocacy group says Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre's stance on the Israel-Hamas war could complicate his party's relationship with Muslim Canadians.
Why some Christians are angry about Trump's 'God Bless the USA' Bible
Former U.S. President Donald Trump is officially selling a copy of the Bible themed to Lee Greenwood’s famous song, 'God Bless the USA.' But the concept of a Bible covered in the American flag has raised concern among religious circles.