New Westminster’s COVID-19 case count has quintupled since last week – but that still keeps local numbers in the single-digit range.
The city saw five new cases of COVID-19 in the week of July 25 to 31, according to B.C. Centre for Disease Control data updated today. By contrast, the week of July 18 to 24 saw just one new case.
Though the number represents a dramatic increase, percentage-wise, New Westminster’s daily case rate still stands at just 1 per 100,000 population, and test positivity is at 1% (an increase from 0% in the past two weeks).
And when it comes to a population-based comparison of COVID-19 case rates in B.C., New Westminster is decidedly underachieving – in a good way.
New Westminster boasts 2% of B.C.’s population but only 1% of its COVID-19 cases, according to BCCDC data for the week of July 27 to Aug. 2.
That puts the city in good company with neighbouring areas such as Burnaby (3% of COVID-19 cases for 5% of population), the Tri-Cities (2% of COVID-19 cases, 5% of population), Surrey (4% of COVID-19 cases, 10% of population) and Richmond (2% of COVID-19 cases, 4% of population).
Contrast those numbers with the hard-hit Central Okanagan, which has 36% of the province’s COVID-19 cases but only 4% of its population. Other “overachievers” – where the percentage of COVID-19 cases surpasses the percentage of population – include such communities as Vernon, Nelson and Salmon Arm.
Follow Julie MacLellan on Twitter @juliemaclellan.
Email Julie, jmaclellan@newwestrecord.ca.
