New COVID-19 infections in Burnaby rose during the past week, according to updated government data.
The BC Centre for Disease Control's (BCCDC) Graphic Distribution of COVID-19 by Local Health Area of Case Residence says Burnaby recorded 39 cases from Aug. 7 to 13.
The city recorded 35 infections from July 31 to Aug. 6.
Provincially, metrics tracking the COVID-19 pandemic declined slightly in the past week.
The number of COVID-19 deaths in the week up to August 13 fell to 24 from 28, while the number of infected hospital patients in the week up until today fell to 366 from 398. Of those in hospital with the disease, 22 are in intensive care units (ICUs), which is down by one from 23 one week ago.
Data for new COVID-19 deaths includes anyone who tested positive for COVID-19 within 30 days and then died – a calculation that could include people who tested positive and then died in car accidents.
As has been the case each week since the government shifted to weekly data reporting in April, the provincial total for all deaths from the disease has risen by more than the new weekly total – a phenomenon that casts doubt on the reliability of the information.
The number of deaths throughout the pandemic in B.C. rose by 42 in the past week, to 4,037 despite only 24 new deaths reported.
The government said today that 877 new infections were detected in the week ended August 13 – down from 900 the previous week.
Its data for new infections has also been widely dismissed. Even Henry, earlier this year, called the data for new cases "not accurate." This is because in December she started telling people who were vaccinated and had mild symptoms to not get tested and to simply self-isolate. She said at the time that this was to increase testing capacity for those with more serious symptoms and those who are more vulnerable.
Data for testing is supposed to be released at 1 p.m. but it was not provided as of press time.
The cumulative total of known infections in the province has risen to 381,049.
- with files from Glen Korstrom, Business In Vancouver
