As COVID-19 numbers fall across the province, UBC and its surrounding neighbourhood saw a per capita case rate of zero instances per 100,000 residents between June 1 and June 7.
According to the BC Centre for Disease Control’s (BCCDC) latest update to its provincial COVID-19 dashboard, the testing positivity rate was zero per cent. The previous week saw three new cases per 100,000 residents with a 1.8 per cent positivity rate.
The provincial positivity rate dipped below five per cent as of June 1, according to another report by the BCCDC. The rate of transmission (Rt) in Vancouver Coastal Health (VCH) was 0.65 transmissions per active case, per said report. For reference, any Rt below 1 is indicative of a decline in cases.
Meanwhile, 61 per cent of adults aged 18 and up have received their first doses of a COVID-19 vaccine, a 13 per cent increase in just one week. Vaccinations at UBC have likely lagged behind other parts of the province due to the relative youth of the UBC population, but this new data demonstrates that that is no longer the case.
Despite the progress, there are some indications that the vaccination rate may soon begin to stall.
Inoculations in adults aged 50 and up appear to have stagnated. According to June 7 data, the vaccination rate for that demographic group in the UBC neighbourhood sits at 75 per cent. Surrounding neighbourhoods have seen slightly higher vaccination rates: West Point Grey/Dunbar-Southlands and Kitsilano both saw a 85 per cent vaccination rate for the 50+ crowd as of June 7.
However, second dose distribution has begun to increase, particularly among those aged 80+, as the province’s full vaccination campaign begins in earnest. The province expects that all British Columbians will be able to receive a second shot by the end of August.