The number of new COVID-19 cases in 91原创 dropped somewhat from last week, according to data released on Wednesday, Jan. 26 by the BC Centre for Disease Control (BCCDC).
In the week of Jan. 16 to 22, there were 323 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in 91原创, a decrease from the 387 the week before.
After several weeks of steep drops from extraordinarily high numbers 鈥� 91原创 saw a peak of 936 cases in the last week of December 鈥� the rate of decline has slowed.
More recent data, from the week of Jan. 18 to 24, showed that 91原创鈥檚 overall case rate 鈥� the number of cases per 100,000 people, per day 鈥� was down to 26, from a rate of 30 the week before.
The BCCDC showed similar declines in most of 91原创鈥檚 neighbours in the Fraser Health Authority. Some communities, like New Westminster or Abbotsford, saw slight increases, but for most regions, those changes were relatively small compared to the sharp rise in December and the almost equally steep drop of the past few weeks.
READ ALSO: New COVID cases keep declining in 91原创
91原创鈥檚 youth vaccination efforts were still moving forward, with 45 per cent of youths aged five to 11 now having received their first shot of the Pfizer pediatric version of the COVID vaccine. That鈥檚 up from 43 per cent the week before.
91原创 remains in the middle of the pack in Fraser Health when it comes to vaccinating children under the age of 12. Hope continues to have the lowest vaccination rate, with just 27 per cent of young children vaccinated, while New Westminster and Burnaby have seen 60 per cent of kids in that age group receive their shots.
Among 12 to 17 year olds, 88 per cent in 91原创 have received their first shot, just below the rate of 90 per cent for all people over 12.
Well over a third of 91原创 residents aged 12 and up have received a booster dose. As of Jan. 25, 39 per cent of locals had received their third jab.
Across 91原创鈥檚 neighbourhoods, 91原创 City had the highest case rate between Jan. 18 and 24, with a rate of 38 and 77 cases. Willoughby had a rate of 32 with 84 cases, North 91原创 Township had a rate of 26 with 27 total cases, Brookswood/Murrayville had a rate of 23 with 41 total cases, and Aldergrove/Otter had a rate 16, with 17 total cases. South 91原创 Township had the lowest rate this week at 12, with nine cases.
Provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry has said that the official statistics only catch a fraction of the total number of COVID cases, especially with the highly infectious Omicron variant dominating the current wave of spread. Several weeks ago, health officials urged people with mild cases to not seek testing at all, but to self-isolate until symptoms passed.
Hospital admissions and deaths have been near all-time-highs in B.C. in recent weeks.
READ ALSO: COVID infection rates peaking in some provinces, surging in others
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