Langley saw more than 900 confirmed cases of COVID-19 last week, rushing past previous records as the highly-contagious Omicron variant continued to spread in B.C.
The BC Centre for Disease Control’s data for Dec. 26 to Jan. 1 showed Langley had 936 cases, at an average daily case rate of more than 60 cases per 100,000 people.
Last week, Langley saw more than 500 cases.
Surrey, Maple Ridge, the Tri-Cities, and Burnaby also saw similar rates of transmission.
The true number of cases in Langley is likely higher, but how much higher remains unknown. Chief medical health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry confirmed last week that the rapid spread of Omicron has overwhelmed B.C. testing and contact tracing infrastructure.
Henry estimated that the true total was typically about four to five times higher than the testing numbers, suggesting Langley saw between 3,700 cases and 4,600 cases in just a week.
Although Omicron is thought to be somewhat milder than the Delta or other variants of COVID-19, its rapid spread still means hospital admissions have been rising in B.C.
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Henry announced a widening of the booster dose campaign, with anyone who got their second dose six months ago or more eligible to register for a third dose.
In Langley, the BCCDC showed that as of Jan. 4, 20 per cent of people over the age of 12 have already received their booster.
The overall vaccination rate for people in Langley over the age of 12 who have received at least one shot is 90 per cent.
Meanwhile, children aged five to 11 now have a vaccination rate of 35 per cent for their first shot, after the pediatric version of Pfizer was approved late last year.