BCCDC COVID Data Summary

4 November 2021

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Purpose
The surveillance deck is a summary of COVID-19 related indicators that can help inform the pandemic
response in British Columbia. This surveillance monitoring constitutes the medical chart for population
health assessment that guides the public health community of practice. As such this is a working
document that reflects a snapshot in time and may differ from other published reports.
Data Sources
The collection, use and disclosure of case data is subject to the Public Health Act. COVID-19 cases are
reported under the Public Health Act to the health authority of residence. Public health case
notification, clinical management, contact tracing and follow-up contributes surveillance data for
regional and provincial COVID-19 monitoring. Each regional health authority have their own workflows
and information systems for capture of relevant data. This data foremost serves the public health and
clinical management of the case and their contacts.
Disclaimer
• Data and key messages within these documents are not finalized and considered to be work in
progress that is subject to retroactive changes as more data and information become available.
• Accurate interpretation of figures may be difficult with the limited inclusion of data notes and
methodology descriptions in this document.
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Table of Contents
Overall Summary ……….…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………4

Surveillance ………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….5

BC Epidemiology………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….….5

Vaccination coverage and outcomes by vaccine status…………………………..………………………………20

Labs/Genomics………………………………………………………………………………………………………….………………………..35

Modelling…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..…………48

Pediatric Report……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………49

Additional Resources………………….……..………………………………………………………………………………………………….57
 Overall Summary for surveillance data to Nov 4
• Case rates are elevated but beginning to decrease provincially; decreasing in NH, IH and VCH and
stable in FH and VIHA.
• Test positivity among public tests is stable (~6.7% provincially), and remains high in NH (21%).
• Testing rates remain higher than historical trends among <12 year olds

• The number of healthcare facility outbreaks during Aug-Oct 2021 was similar to Aug-Oct 2020.
• New hospitalizations are elevated and stable provincially; hospital/critical care census is stable
provincially, but there is variation across BC; new deaths are low but elevated compared to Wave 3.
• New hospitalizations are increasing in FH

• Hospitalization rates among children continue to remain very low.

• The majority of new cases and hospitalizations continue to be among unvaccinated individuals.
• Vaccine coverage in BC, 2 Nov, 1 dose (2 doses): ~80% (76%) of total population, ~90% (85%) of 12+
eligible population. Lower vaccine coverage in Interior and Northern.
• The Delta variant continues to account for ≈100% of all positive tests in BC.
Oct 28 to Nov 02: BC COVID-19 Profile
207,120 total cases 2,192 total deaths
3,538 new this week 55 new this week

11,492 ever hospitalized 200,220 removed from isolation

244 new this week 3,878 new this week

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Case rates are elevated with signs of early decrease, and new hospitalizations are elevated and relatively
stable; new deaths are low but slowly increasing.

For latest version of a graph similar to this one (difference:

hospital census, not new hospitalizations), see the Epi App

For latest version of a graph similar to this one (difference: 6

hospital census, not new hospitalizations), see the Epi App
The majority of new cases and hospitalizations continue to be among
unvaccinated individuals

For latest version of this figure (note: no deaths data), see COVID-19 Regional Surveillance Dashboard 7
Overall incidence is either relatively stable or decreasing across all age groups – but note how
different this graph looks once separated out by vaccine status (next slide)

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For all age groups 12+, those who are vaccinated have very low case rates. Among those
unvaccinated, case rates are lowest among children.

NB: 80+ age group not shown for the unvaccinated group due
to high and very unstable rates, reflecting a small denominator

For latest version of this figure (NB: different age groups), see COVID-19 Regional Surveillance Dashboard 9
Number of new hospital admissions is elevated and stable overall as well as across age groups.
Deaths are low, but higher than in the spring. The majority of deaths are in individuals ≥60 years.

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Trends in number and rate of new hospitalizations by age group, BC, 1 Jan – 30 Oct 2021

Hospitalization counts and rates

among children (0-19 years)
continue to remain very low

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*Data based on admission date for hospitalizations
Critical care census is stable across province. Hospital census is increasing in FH, declining
in IH and NH, and stable in VIHA and VCH.

% in critical care

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During the most recent resurgence, approximately 15-20% of cases in individuals
aged 70 and above have been among residents of long-term or assisted living facilities

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14
The number of new healthcare facility outbreaks during Aug-Oct 2021 was
similar to Aug-Oct 2020.

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For latest version of this map (note: change symbols not 16
included), see COVID-19 Regional Surveillance Dashboard
For latest version of this map, (note: change symbols not 17
included), see COVID-19 Regional Surveillance Dashboard
For latest version of this graph, see COVID-19 Regional Surveillance Dashboard 18
For latest version of this graph, see COVID- 19
19 Regional Surveillance Dashboard
 Key messages – Vaccination coverage and
outcomes by vaccine status
• Vaccine coverage in BC, 2 Nov, 1 dose (2 doses): ~80% (76%) of total population, ~90% (85%) of 12+
eligible population. Lower vaccine coverage in Interior and Northern.
• Most of the recent cases and hospitalizations continue to be among unvaccinated individuals
• Based on data over the last 4 weeks, compared with fully vaccinated individuals and after adjusting for
age differences, unvaccinated individuals are
• ≈ 10x more likely to become a case
• ≈ 55x more likely to be hospitalized
• ≈ 45x more likely to die
• NB: relative rates fluctuate over time and do not represent vaccine effectiveness

• Unvaccinated: no dose or not yet protected (<3 weeks since receipt of 1st dose; <10% of unvaccinated cases)
• Partially vaccinated = 1 dose: ≥3 weeks since receipt of 1st dose and <2 weeks after 2nd dose
• Fully vaccinated = 2 doses: 2 weeks or more after receipt of 2nd dose
Over the past week, fully vaccinated individuals represented 75% of BC’s total population, but
accounted for 36% of cases and 23% of hospitalizations.

These % fluctuate over time. There are many more vaccinated individuals than unvaccinated individuals, and thus it is
important to take the denominator into account. These figures do not represent vaccine effectiveness.

We operate in a live database environment and data get updated retrospectively. These figures may differ slightly from previously reported counts. Cases are captured based on surveillance date.
Hospitalizations are by admission date. Please note that there is often a multiple-days lag in recording hospitalizations, e.g. some hospital admissions that occurred on Sept 24 th may not be
captured by our surveillance system until Sept 29th.

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 Over the past month, fully vaccinated individuals accounted for 34% of cases and 22% of
hospitalizations.

These % are expected to increase over time as more people get fully vaccinated and there are fewer
unvaccinated people. If 100% of population gets fully vaccinated (which is almost the case for many long term
care residents for example), then any new cases, hospitalizations, or deaths will be among vaccinated people.

A large proportion of deaths is

among older (80+) individuals,
>90% of whom are fully
vaccinated, which explains the
higher relative % of deaths
among the fully vaccinated.

67%

We operate in a live database environment and data get updated retrospectively. These figures may differ slightly from previously reported counts. Cases are captured based on surveillance date.
Hospitalizations are by admission date. Deaths are by date of death. Please note that there is often a multiple-days lag in recording hospitalizations and deaths, e.g. some hospital admissions that
occurred on Sept 24th may not be captured in our surveillance system until Sept 29th.

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COVID-19 health outcomes by vaccination status and age, BC, October 2021
COVID-19 case rate by
vaccination status and
Health Authority, July 1 –
Nov 2, 2021

Denominators for each vaccine status

group are dynamic and change daily
as people flow from being
unvaccinated to protected by 1 dose
to protected by 2 doses. Therefore,
the denominators are different across
groups and over time.

For latest version of this figure, see COVID-19 Regional Surveillance Dashboard 24
COVID-19 case rate by
vaccination status and
age, July 1 – Nov 2,
2021

Denominators for each vaccine status

group are dynamic and change daily
as people flow from being
unvaccinated to protected by 1 dose
to protected by 2 doses. Therefore,
the denominators are different across
groups and over time.

For latest version of this figure, see COVID-19 Regional Surveillance Dashboard 25
COVID-19 hospitalization
rate by vaccination
status, July 1 – Oct 29,
2021

Data by hospital admission date.

Denominators for each vaccine status
group are dynamic and change daily
as people flow from being
unvaccinated to protected by 1 dose
to protected by 2 doses. Therefore,
the denominators are different across
groups and over time.

For latest version of this figure, see COVID-19 Regional Surveillance Dashboard 26
COVID-19
hospitalization rate by
vaccination status and
age, July 1 – Oct 29,
2021

Rates for unvaccinated/1 dose 80+

year olds not shown as they are
unstable, making it difficult to
Denominators for each vaccine status interpret data for other age groups
group are dynamic and change daily
as people flow from being
unvaccinated to protected by 1 dose
to protected by 2 doses. Therefore,
the denominators are different across
groups and over time.

For latest version of this figure, see COVID-19 Regional Surveillance Dashboard 27
After adjusting for age, unvaccinated individuals continue to be at a significantly higher risk of
infection, hospitalization, and death from COVID-19 compared with fully vaccinated
Relative rate fluctuates over time. These figures do not represent vaccine effectiveness.

~55x

~10x

~45x

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Vaccination progress in BC over time by age group and dose number up to Nov. 2, 2021

~90%
~80%

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Vaccination progress in BC
and by Health Authority as
of Nov. 2, by age group and
dose number (%)

Denominator for this graph is Client Roster

maintained by the BC Ministry of Health.
Client Roster population data are sourced
from a list of all residents registered with
Medical Services Plan as of March 12, 2021.​
Since this date, people may have moved,
permanently or temporarily, and have been
vaccinated or reported their vaccination
status. As a result, there are areas in BC
where there will be more people vaccinated
than there were living in that area in March
2021. The Client Roster likely
underrepresents new arrivals into a region
such as young adults relocating to attend
post-secondary institutes and workers at
major construction project areas. An
alternative denominator would be based on
projections derived from Census 2016,
which is also not representative of the
current BC population. There is no perfect
denominator.

Blue line is for visual reference only

For latest version of this figure, see COVID-19 Regional Surveillance Dashboard 30
For latest version of this map, see COVID-19 Regional Surveillance Dashboard 31
For latest version of this map, see COVID-19 Regional Surveillance Dashboard 32
For latest version of this map, see COVID-19 Regional Surveillance Dashboard 33
For latest version of this map, see COVID-19 Regional Surveillance Dashboard 34
 Lab - Key Messages
• Test positivity among publicly funded tests was stable this week (~6.7%)
• Test positivity varies by HA, ranging from 3.6% in VCH to 21% in NH
• Test positivity is consistently ~2-3x higher among unvaccinated individuals than in 2 dose
recipients
• Publicly funded testing decreased 7% this week (~60K total public tests)
• Testing rates remain higher than historical trends among <12 year olds
• In each region, testing rates are similar by vaccination status
• The provincial weekly median turnaround time (time from specimen collection to
lab result) is low at 15 hours, indicating good testing capacity.
• Delta is the most prevalent COVID-19 variant in BC representing ~100% of all
sequenced specimens in most recent week.
• Wastewater samples can act as a population-level sentinel surveillance tool
• Viral signals in Metro Vancouver wastewater plants have plateaued or are declining slowing,
consistent with case-counts in these regions
 Weekly Summary of ALL lab tests performed
4,277,665 total specimens tested
3% relative to last week
89,695 new this epi week

216,739 total positive specimens 4.5% positivity

0.2% absolute change from
4,061 new positive this epi week last week
17 hr mean turnaround time (TAT)
3% TAT relative to last
15 [10-23] Median [Q1 – Q3] TAT week
Weekly Summary of Lab tests paid Publicly
3,219,153 total specimens tested
7% relative to last week
59,514 new this epi week
214,036 total positive specimens 6.7% positivity 36
0% absolute change from
4,012 new positive this epi week
last week
Data source: PLOVER extract at 10:30am on November 3, 2021.
Epi week 43 (Oct 24 – 30)
For latest version of this map, see the new (note: change 37
symbols not included) COVID-19 Surveillance Dashboard
 Includes all tests

For latest version of this map, see the new (note: change 38
symbols not included) COVID-19 Surveillance Dashboard
Among publicly funded specimens, percent positivity is stable (~6.7%), and testing rates have
decreased 7% since the last week.

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Percent positivity is stable provincially, but varies by region: lowest in VCH (3.6%), high in NH (21%). Testing
rates are elevated and declining across the province (highest in Fraser Health and Northern Health)

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Test positivity remains high throughout NH

For latest version of a graph similar to this one 41

(difference: all tests, not public tests), see the Epi App
Testing rates remain higher than historical trends among <12 year olds

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In every region, testing rates are broadly similar by vaccination status

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In every region over the past 3 months, test positivity for publicly funded tests has been
consistently ~2-3x higher among the unvaccinated than in fully vaccinated individuals

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Among sequenced VOC samples provincially based on information until Oct 30, the dominant
VOC continues to be Delta ~100%

Delta (%) ≈ 100%

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In FHA, the viral signal from wastewater reflects the trends in case counts in
this region

Time-series plots show weekly or bi-weekly viral signals from each wastewater plant (right y-axis), overlaid with rolling 7-day mean of daily new
cases within wastewater catchment area (left y-axis).
Plot title shows wastewater plant name, followed by approximate catchment area.

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In VCH, the viral signal from wastewater reflects the declining trends in case counts
in this region

Time-series plots show viral signals from each wastewater plant (right y-axis), overlaid with rolling 7-day mean of daily new cases within wastewater catchment area (left y-axis).
Plot title shows wastewater plant name, followed by approximate catchment area.

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 Pediatric Report - Key Messages
• Case numbers in <18 years remain relatively stable, with signs of a downward
trend
• Incidence varies regionally and by pediatric age group
• Case rates are highest in regions with lower 12+ vaccine coverage
• Severe outcomes continue to remain rare in children
• Among youth 12-17 years old, vaccination coverage is ~84% provincially, but
varies significantly by local area

Also see the Data for K-12 Schools October report posted on the BCCDC website:
http://www.bccdc.ca/Health-Info-Site/Documents/COVID_sitrep/K12_Situation_Report/SitRep_K-12_October_2021.pdf
 Oct 28 to Nov 03: Pediatric COVID-19 Profile

Age group: 0-4 Age group: 0-4 Age group: 0-4 Age group: 0-4
5,564 total cases 119 ever hospitalized 12 ever in critical care 2 total deaths
139 new this week 4 new this week 0 new this week 0 new this week

Age group: 5-11 Age group: 5-11 Age group: 5-11 Age group: 5-11
14,426 total cases 57 ever hospitalized 4 ever in critical care 0 total deaths
536 new this week 1 new this week 1 new this week 0 new this week

Age group: 12-17 Age group: 12-17 Age group: 12-17 Age group: 12-17
12,444 total cases 51 ever hospitalized 8 ever in critical care 0 total deaths
186 new this week 3 new this week 0 new this week 0 new this week

* New hospitalizations and critical care census numbers are as of Nov 02 2021
* New cases and new deaths are net new between Line lists of Oct 27 and Nov 03

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Incidence varies regionally and by pediatric age group

Masking for
grades K-3

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Number of new daily hospitalizations remains very low and stable; deaths are extremely rare

Note: Absolute number of new hospitalizations still low (see y-axis on right)

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Case rates are
relatively stable 0-11 years
among children and
youth.

Hospitalization rates
remain low.

12 to 17 years

0 hospitalizations so far among

fully vaccinated 12-17 year olds

For latest version of this figure, see COVID-19 Regional Surveillance Dashboard 53
COVID-19 vaccination coverage with 1st dose among 12-17 year olds, by Local Health Area,
up to Nov. 1, 2021: there is more variation in this age group compared with older age groups

For latest version of this map, see COVID-19 Regional Surveillance Dashboard 54
Testing rates among 5-17 year olds have recently decreased but remain elevated and stable among 0-4 year
olds. Test positivity is highest among 9-11 year olds (>10%) and lowest in the 0-4 year olds (<3%).

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Testing rates among 5-17 year olds remain high in all HSDAs. Percent positivity is high throughout NH.

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 Additional Resources
• BCCDC COVID-19 Regional Surveillance Dashboard showing maps, vertical plots, and trends by LHA
can be found here

• More BC COVID-19 data, including the latest Situation Report, maps, and BC COVID-19 public
dashboard, can be found here

• For more information on variants of concern and whole genome sequencing, the latest report is
posted here

• To put BC provincial, Health Authority, and HSDA trajectories into national and international
context, see BCCDC COVID-19 Epidemiology app

• COVID SPEAK 2020 Round 1 Survey results

• Slides for previous public and modelling briefings by Dr. Bonnie Henry can be found here

• PHAC’s COVID-19 Epidemiology update can be found here