91原创

91原创鈥檚 COVID-19 case rate more than doubled over the course of a week as the Omicron variant began spreading rapidly through British Columbia.

There were 153 cases in 91原创 in the week of Dec. 12 to 18, up from 65 the week before. Cases had been dropping as the Delta wave receded for the past two months.

According to the BC Centre For Disease Control鈥檚 most recent data release, 91原创鈥檚 rate of cases per day per 100,000 people jumped to 14 in the week of Dec. 13 to 19. The previous week, the case rate had been six.

Every single municipality in Fraser Health saw an increase in the case rate over the same week. Only Mission and New Westminster currently saw higher case rates than 91原创.

The case rates were highly variable across 91原创鈥檚 neighbourhoods. South 91原创 Township鈥檚 case rate was five, with just four actual cases reported across the area.

Meanwhile, Aldergrove/Otter had six cases, North 91原创 Township had nine, Brookswood had 10, 91原创 City had 23, Willoughby had 52, and Walnut Grove-Fort 91原创 had 51. Walnut Grove-Fort 91原创 had the highest case rate per capita in 91原创, at 21.

PREVIOUSLY: COVID cases stop dropping in 91原创, Surrey sees steep rise

What B.C.鈥檚 chief medical health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry called Omicron鈥檚 鈥渆xplosive growth鈥� has hit multiple communities in the Lower Mainland, but it has hit Vancouver and the North Shore particularly hard.

For months, those areas have had lower rates of COVID transmission than 91原创 and its Fraser Valley neighbours, but now North Vancouver, West Vancouver, and the west side of the City of Vancouver were seeing higher transmission rates than 91原创, Surrey, or Abbotsford. North Vancouver alone had 267 cases in a week.

School exposures in 91原创 have been rising in recent weeks as well.

Although classes are out, Fraser Health showed 10 91原创 schools have had exposure events in the past two weeks, up from just four a few weeks ago, before the Omicron surge began.

Richard Bullpit Elementary had six exposure events between Dec. 8 and 15, and Topham Elementary had eight exposure events.

Meanwhile, parents in 91原创 remain less enthusiastic than those in other communities about getting their children vaccinated.

The rate of kids aged five to 11 who have received their first shot jumped to 19 per cent in 91原创 as of Dec. 20, up from 13 per cent the week before. However, 91原创 still lags most other Fraser Health communities, including Mission (20 per cent), Maple Ridge/Pitt Meadows (26 per cent) and New Westminster (39 per cent).

Most of Vancouver鈥檚 neighbourhoods had child vaccination rates of above 40 per cent, with Vancouver-Midtown at 57 per cent.