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Weekly COVID-19 cases increase in eastern Fraser Valley

Fraser East now has the third-highest daily rate in the province
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A sign restricting access to the Agassiz Seniors Community because of COVID-19. (Grace Kennedy/The Observer)

COVID-19 cases that have been on the decline in the eastern Fraser Valley for the last three weeks have seen a slight bump, giving Fraser East the highest daily rate of new cases in the Fraser Valley.

Between Feb. 5 and 11, there were 317 positive cases of COVID-19 in the Fraser Valley East health region, the which encompasses Abbotsford, Mission, Chilliwack, Hope and Agassiz. This follows several weeks of declining cases, reaching a low of 255 cases between Jan. 29 and Feb. 4.

Individual communities have been seeing decreases in case numbers, including Agassiz, Hope and Chilliwack, although Mission and Abbotsford had small increases. The data period for local communities and health service delivery areas do not match up, so there can’t be a perfect correlation between Mission and Abbotsford’s increase and the increase to Fraser East as a whole.

RELATED: Chilliwack COVID cases count drops again in latest BC Centre for Disease Control report

The rest of the Fraser Valley has also seen a bump in new cases this week, with 450 new cases in Fraser North and 765 new cases in Fraser South.

Those 450 cases were the highest weekly amount for Fraser North since mid-December. Fraser South has been on a very gradual increase since it reached a low of 710 new cases at the end of January.

SEE ALSO: One in 50 people have tested positive for COVID-19 in Fraser East

This week’s increase in positive test results has moved Fraser East into the top spot for Fraser Health’s daily rate of new cases per 100,000 people.

Fraser East is seeing around 15 new cases per 100,000 people each day, compared to 14 new cases in Fraser South and 10 new cases in Fraser North.

The eastern Fraser Valley has the third highest daily rate of cases in the province, coming in behind the Northwest (nearly 28 daily cases per 100,000) and the Thompson Cariboo Shuswap (17 daily cases per 100,000).

A number of outbreaks in Fraser East have been declared over, including two long-term care homes: Agassiz’s Glenwood Seniors Community and Chilliwack’s Bradley Centre. Both of those saw no transmission of the virus to care home residents.

RELATED: COVID outbreak over at Agassiz long-term care home



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