Editor’s note: On Jan. 14, provincial health officials announced that a lack of contact tracing, a shortened incubation period and the rapid spread of the Omicron variant has made it impossible to continue the status quo of the weekly release of local health area (LHA) related to COVID-19. As such, this mode of weekly COVID-19 coverage will be suspended indefinitely.
We will make every effort to continue local COVID-19 coverage with the tools at our disposal. Stay tuned to The Observer for the latest.
An active outbreak at Glenwood Care Centre contributed to a record-setting first week in 2022 for local COVID-19 cases.
The B.C. Centre for Disease Control (BCCDC) has recorded 59 new cases of COVID-19 between Jan. 2 and 8. This is 25 cases higher than the previous record set in mid-September 2021 of 34 cases in a single week. During the first week of 2021, there were 19 cases of COVID-19 recorded.
There are two active outbreaks in Agassiz-Harrison. An ongoing outbreak of COVID-19 at Kent Institution has grown by seven cases from its second week to the third week. As of publications, there are now 48 inmate cases and at least 18 employee cases of COVID-19 reported. According to Correctional Service Canada, 35 of the 48 inmates who tested positive are now considered recovered.
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The Glenwood Care Centre outbreak in Agassiz has been declared over, resulting in 13 infections – nine residents and four employees. There have been no deaths associated with this or any outbreak in the Agassiz-Harrison area.
There have been no exposure events in Fraser-Cascade School District 78 reported since the end of November.
Vaccination rates have been slower for the past three weeks, but a few categories have continued to grow regardless. As of Jan. 17, 32 per cent of children ages 5 to 11 have received their first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine, up one per cent from last week. 78 per cent of senior citizens aged 70 and older have received a booster of the COVID-19 vaccine. Most other categories have remained much the same since the last update:
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- 12 and older: 82 per cent fully vaccinated (86 per cent with at least one dose)
- 12-17: 66 per cent fully vaccinated (71 per cent with at least one dose)
- 18 and older: 84 per cent fully vaccinated (87 per cent with at least one dose)
- 18-49: 76 per cent fully vaccinated (82 per cent with at least one dose)
- 50 and older: 89 per cent fully vaccinated (91 per cent with at least one dose)
As of publication, Fraser Health has reported no further upcoming vaccination clinics planned for Agassiz-Harrison.
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