COVID-19 case counts and positivity in New Westminster ticked up slightly last week after three weeks trending down.
The increases weren't dramatic, however. Between May 22 and 28, the city saw 18 officially recorded cases of COVID, up from 16 the previous week. Test positivity, meanwhile, rose from 13% to 15%.
(Official public case counts don't reflect the actual number of COVID-19 cases in B.C., since the vast majority of people have not been eligible for testing since the beginning of 2022, when case counts shot up dramatically in the face of the original Omicron wave.)
Provincewide, the news appears to be positive, as hospitalizations in B.C. fell to a seven-week low this week. The 421 people hospitalized with COVID-19 as of yesterday (June 2) was the lowest total since April 14, when there were 364. Of those, 41 were sick enough to be in intensive care units – the fewest since May 5, when there were 39 such patients.
Hospitalization numbers, however, remain higher than they were in 2021; one year ago yesterday, there were 246 COVID-19 patients in B.C. hospitals.
Hospital data is not broken down to a local level, so it's unknown how many of New Westminster's new cases are serious enough to require hospitalization.
Metro Vancouver test positivity rates coming down
As far as test positivity goes, New Westminster remains on pace with most neighbouring municipalities
New West is faring better than three of four quadrants in neighbouring Burnaby, where the northeast sits at 25%, the northwest at 22% and the southwest at 17%. Only southeast Burnaby, at 10%, is doing better.
Positivity rates are also generally low in the Tri-Cities, with North Coquitlam down to 5%, Southeast Coquitlam at 11%, Southwest Coquitlam at 10% and Port Coquitlam at 13%. The only outlier is Port Moody/Anmore/Belcarra, at 25%.
South of the river, Surrey continues to fare reasonably well, with Whalley at 9%, North Surrey at 10% and Guildford at 15%.
Who can get a COVID-19 PCR test in B.C.?
Testing for COVID-19 is only available to those who meet the eligibility criteria.
According to the Fraser Health website (as of the latest update June 2), testing is recommended for people who have symptoms associated with COVID-19 infection and who fall into one of the following categories:
- People for whom testing is clinically indicated (people who are pregnant, hospitalized or moderately to severely immunocompromised).
- People with conditions that put them at high risk.
- People 70 years of age or older who are fully vaccinated, with three or more chronic conditions that increase the risk of severe illness or hospitalization.
- People 50 years of age and older who are unvaccinated or partially vaccinated and who have three or more chronic conditions that increase the risk of severe illness or hospitalization; or people 50 to 69 years of age who have not yet received their booster dose and have three or more chronic conditions that increase the risk of severe illness or hospitalization; or people age 70 years and older who have not yet received their booster dose and have one or more chronic conditions that increase the risk of severe illness or hospitalization.
- Individuals who self-identify as Indigenous.
- Individuals who live or work in high-risk settings.
Where can I get a COVID-19 rapid test in B.C.?
If you aren't eligible for public testing but you want to know if you have COVID-19, rapid antigen tests are available for free through participating community pharmacies for all adults aged 18+.
To find a New Westminster pickup point near you, check out this list by neighbourhood.
The B.C. Centre for Disease Control is no longer collecting reports of positive cases from at-home tests, so rapid test results are not reflected in official case counts or positivity numbers.
— with files from Glen Korstrom
Follow Julie MacLellan on Twitter @juliemaclellan.
Email Julie, [email protected].
