By Laura Keil
Since the start of the pandemic, COVID-19 cases in British Columbia have been broken down by health authority. While case numbers seem to be skyrocketing in some places, how do the health authorities actually compare when we look at per capita figures?
Island Health – Island Health, which encompasses Vancouver Island and the Sunshine Coast comes out on top when it comes to lowest total cases and lowest cases per capita. The Island has had 381 cases since the start of the pandemic in March out of a total population of approximately 850,000 people. That puts the per capita rate at 1/2231, that is, one person out of every 2231 has contracted COVID-19 since March.
Interior Health – The Interior Health region spans from the Alberta border to the Okanagan and up to the Cariboo region. Of the 742,000 residents, 1,088 have contracted COVID-19. That puts the per capita rate at 1/682, that is, one person out of every 682 has contracted COVID-19 since March.
Northern Health – Of the 300,000 residents served by Northern Health, 518 people have contracted COVID-19, putting the rate at 1/579, that is, one person out of every 579 has contracted COVID-19 since March.
Vancouver Coastal Health – Of the 1.25 Million who live in this health authority, 6692 have contracted COVID-19. That translates to a rate of 1/187, that is, one out of every 187 people has contracted COVID-19 since March.
Fraser Health – Fraser Health holds the record for highest number of cases total, and the highest per capita rate. Of its 1.8 million population, 14,175 have contracted COVID-19. Its rate of 1/127 means one out of every 127 people has contracted COVID-19 since March.
Of course these figures only represent the total risk over the course of the pandemic. Current figures show cases in Island Health have increased dramatically over the past month (20 new cases Mon. Nov. 16th). But relative to other places, it is still one of the safest places to be.
