Aldergrove has highest COVID transmission in Langley

Langley’s COVID infection numbers are low, with former hot spots now seeing rates of weekly infections that are in the single digits.

In early May, just a month ago, vaccination bookings were opened to everyone 18 and up in a number of hot spots around the province. Those hot spots included South Langley and Willoughby.

As of the week of June 1 to 7 in Langley, the rate of COVID-19 cases per 100,000 people per day was down to three, according to BC Centre for Disease Control data. The week before that, it had been at five cases per 100,000 per day.

By either measure, Langley is now near the bottom of the case rate chart in the Fraser Health Region, with only Hope and South Surrey/White Rock having lower rates.

With the exception of the Agassiz/Harrison area, all of the Local Health Authority areas are in decline.

Within Langley, only Aldergrove stands out.

The Aldergrove/Otter area still has a case rate of 11. It’s adjacent to Rural Abbotsford, which has a case rate of 18 for the week up to June 7. That leaves it with the highest rate in the entire Lower Mainland and Fraser Valley for the last week, and one of the highest transmission ares in the province.

READ MORE: B.C.’s COVID-19 decline continues, 148 new cases Wednesday

Meanwhile, other neighbourhoods in Langley continue to see low case rates.

South Langley and Willoughby, hot spots only a month ago, now have case rates of four and two per 100,000 people, respectively.

Brookswood/Murrayville has a rate of two, Northeastern Langley is at three, and Walnut Grove/Fort Langley is at one.

Langley City, which had also seen higher case rates than its neighbouring areas in recent weeks, is down to a rate of two.

Rates are falling across the region, with North Surrey neighbourhoods still higher than average, but dropping from last week.

The vaccination campaign has also managed to reach into every Langley neighbourhood, but Aldergrove is lagging somewhat behind its neighbours.

In that area, 66% of residents 12 and older have received at least one shot of a COVID-19 vaccine.

That’s the same as Rural Abbotsford, but lower than South Langley (69 per cent) North Langley (68 per cent) Langley City (69 per cent), Brookswood-Murrayville (73 per cent) Willoughby (75 per cent) and Walnut Grove/Fort Langley (79 per cent).