By Roy L Hales
The most recent map of the geographic distribution of COVID-19 cases shows data in the North Vancouver Island Area up to Saturday, Jan. 30, at which point there were four cases in the Greater Campbell River Area. The area includes Cortes, Quadra and the rest of the the Discovery Islands, one in the Comox Valley and one in Vancouver Island West.
Geographic distribution of COVID-19 cases ending on Ja.n 30, 2021. Photo courtesy of the BC Centre for Disease Control
This shows a significant drop in the number of active cases in the Comox Valley, where there were nine cases the week before. At that point, there were three cases in the Greater Campbell River Area and two in Vancouver Island North.
Geographic distribution of COVID-19 cases in the week of Jan. 24-30, 2021. Photo by BC Centre for Disease Control.
Vancouver Island
According to the British Columbia COVID-19 Dashboard, there were 273 active COVID-19 cases on Vancouver Island and the associated islands as of 4:30 p.m. yesterday
Island Health numbers, also reported yesterday, are lower: 228, of which 167 are in the Central Vancouver Island Health Service Delivery Area, where there are also nine schools with exposure notices.
There were seven active cases in the North Vancouver Island Area.
Cases reported on Feb. 3 for Island Health. Screenshot from Island Health COVID 19 Status Dashboard.
Exposures in Central and South Vancouver Island school as of Feb 3, 2021. There are currently no school exposures in North Vancouver Island. Graph courtesy of Island Health.
UK Variant
The latest BC Centre for Disease Control report released yesterday states fourteen people are known to be infected with the so called UK variant, otherwise known as B.1.1.7. Eleven of these travelled abroad and two reported contact with travellers.
Four reports of the UK variant are in Island Health, where the variant was first reported on Dec. 27, 2020. A CTV News story suggests the infected person entered Canada on an Air Canada flight from London to Vancouver. This individual developed symptoms while in quarantine, at home in Nanaimo.
Fatalities
1,234 British Columbians have died since the pandemic began. 20 of these on Vancouver Island.
The latest BC Centre for Disease control report states that “almost three-quarters of all COVID-19 deaths in BC have been associated with care facility outbreaks” (72 per cent) and 96 per cent of these care facility deaths were people 70+ years old.