Down and up, and down again.
The Tri-Cities may be a small modest roller coaster during the current state of the COVID-19 pandemic, but the latest data available is on the heels of the province's new plan to administer booster vaccinations to the general public this fall.
A total of 25 lab-confirmed cases were detected prior to the Labour Day long weekend across Coquitlam, Port Coquitlam, Port Moody, Anmore and Belcarra.
The infections were recorded between Aug. 28 and Sept. 3 by the BC Centre for Disease Control (BCCDC).
It marks a seven per cent increase from the 27 found in the previous seven-day reporting period — Aug. 21 to 27 — and the second fewest regional cases detected in a single week for 2022.
Amid tighter testing restrictions, the infections are collected each week by public health officials and published in the BCCDC's newest Geographic Distribution of COVID-19 by Local Health Area of Case Residence data.
The Tri-Cities recorded the third highest case count in Fraser Health, behind Surrey (61) and Burnaby (28), and fifth in all of B.C.
The region's latest total is only 13 per cent of the number of infections that were found during the same week in 2021 (196).
Booster rollout
Meanwhile, Tri-Cities residents seeking the next wave of booster shots against COVID-19 could be getting their latest jabs in just a few days.
Provincial officials confirmed Tuesday (Sept. 6) more than 109,000 shots of Moderna Inc.'s bivalent vaccine are due to arrive by the end of the week. Booster invites for prioritized groups such as health-care workers and high-risk individuals will begin as soon as those doses arrive in the province.
Vaccinations against the virus across the Tri-Cities maintain 92, 90 and 60 per cent single-, double- and triple-dose average rates for eligible residents five years and older.
"We were actually hoping we can say today it’s arrived in British Columbia – the first tranche – but it’s not quite there," Penny Ballem, executive lead of B.C.'s COVID-19 vaccination rollout, said during Tuesday’s announcement.
These bivalent vaccines feature a mix of vaccines, similar to how flu vaccines can often include three or four combinations of vaccines.
In this case, the bivalent vaccine is meant to offer protection against the original COVID-19 virus as well as the more contagious Omicron variant.
This particular bivalent shot carries the spike protein for the BA.1 subvariant of Omicron rather than the circulating BA.4 and BA.5 subvariants that many Americans are receiving as part of that country’s fall booster campaign (the spike protein is what triggers an immune response in recipients).
Tri-Cities kids' clinic
Kids between six months and four years old continue to receive modified doses of Moderna's mRNA vaccine as parents have been able to book appointments this past month.
In Port Moody, Fraser Health nurses and staff are set up inside the Newport Public Health Unit across from city hall (200-205 Newport Dr.) during the following operating hours:
- 9 a.m. to 6:50 p.m. (weekdays)
- 9 a.m. to 3:50 p.m. (weekends)
Standalone clinics are also offering the pediatric vaccine.
Parents and guardians can register their kids online via B.C.'s GetVaccinated online portal; an invitation to book an appointment will then be sent via text, email or phone call.
You can also visit the province's website for more information or call 1-833-838-2323.
- with files from Tyler Orton, Business In Vancouver
