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Number of new COVID cases plummets on North Shore

Number of new infections now lowest since last summer while North Van has one of the highest vaccination rates in B.C.
Jane Seyd
Jane Seyd

The number of new COVID cases has plummeted this week on the North Shore.

There were 21 new cases of the virus reported for the North Shore for the week ending June 12, less than half of the number reported the week previously.

That is lowest number of new cases reported on the North Shore since last summer. It’s also a dramatic drop from the high of 327 new cases in one week recorded in mid April.

Of the new cases reported this week, 18 are in North Vancouver and 3 are in West Vancouver.

Case counts have been continuing to drop throughout most of the Lower Mainland, including areas like Surrey, Burnaby, Richmond, Vancouver and the Tri-Cities.

The BC Centre for Disease Control now provides more detailed information about where cases have been occurring, as well as information on vaccination rates.

Rates of infection falling

On the North Shore, that data (which tracked cases from June 8 to 14) showed daily rates of infection have dropped further in most areas in the past week, with central parts of North Vancouver (including the eastern part of the City of North Vancouver and central part of the District of North Vancouver) showing zero daily cases per 100,000 in the past week. Most areas of the North Shore had a case rate of between 1 and 2 daily cases per 100,000. The one exception was Bowen Island and Lions Bay, where the infection rate went up, from 3 daily cases per 100,000 to 5.

Positivity rates North Shore June14A map showing the geographic breakdown of positivity rates among those tested for COVID-19 infections in the Lower Mainland for the week ended June 12. By BC CDC

Among those tested for COVID-19, Bowen Island and Lions Bay had the highest positivity rate at 8 per cent. Most areas had positivity rates of 1 or 2 per cent, while the eastern part of North Vancouver city and district had a positivity rate of 3 per cent.

North Van has among highest vaccination rates in B.C.

Overall, North Vancouver has one of the highest vaccination rates in the province, with 84 per cent of those 12 and over in the District of North Vancouver having received one dose. Vaccinations rates for those over 18 are between 77 and 88 per cent on the North Shore with rates among people 50 and over in the District of North Vancouver at 90 per cent.

The upper part of West Vancouver, including the British Properties and Caulfeild, has the lowest vaccination rate on the North Shore, but even that is still relatively high at 76 per cent for people 12 and over.

According to B.C.’s Centre for Disease Control, COVID variants of concern now make up about 78 per cent of cases in the province, and 75 per cent of cases in Vancouver Coastal Health.

Overall case counts in the province continue to drop with 113 new cases reported on Wednesday, 27 of those in Vancouver Coastal Health. Numbers of patients in hospital with COVID-19 are also continuing to fall. There were 134 people in hospital with COVID on Wednesday.