Total number of Whatcom County coronavirus cases reaches triple digits Saturday
The number of Whatcom County residents who have tested positive for COVID-19, the new coronavirus, has reached triple digits, according to information released Saturday, March 28, by the Whatcom County Health Department.
The county now has 102 positive tests, the health department said Saturday, as 10 new cases were reported.
No new deaths were reported by the county health department Saturday morning, but later Saturday, Shuksan Healthcare Center reported that two resident linked to the Bellingham nursing home that had tested positive for COVID-19 died Thursday and Friday night. That would represent the county’s fifth and sixth coronavirus-related death and the fourth linked to an outbreak at Shuksan.
Meanwhile, the Lummi Public Health Department reported Friday evening in a Facebook post that nine of the 12 Lummi community members who have tested positive for COVID-19 have recovered. The nation reported that it has conducted 137 tests, 97 of which came back negative, 26 were pending and two were indeterminate.
Lummi Public Health reported on the Lummi Communications Facebook page Saturday evening that three more Lummi community member has tested positive for COVID-19, for a total of 15 Lummi community member cases.
The Whatcom County Health Department reported Saturday there have been 568 negative tests.
The number of confirmed cases in Whatcom County is up from 92 on Friday, when the county reported six new cases.
Shuksan Healthcare Center, 1530 James St., has had 27 residents and 19 employees — one more worker tested positive on Friday — who have been diagnosed with the respiratory illness, according to the Whatcom County Health Department and daily briefings from Shuksan. The outbreak at Shuksan was revealed last weekend.
Four residents linked to the Shuksan outbreak have died, according to the Bellingham nursing home and the Whatcom health department.
On Friday, Spring Creek by Bonaventure, a Bellingham senior living facility, confirmed that a resident tested positive for the new coronavirus, and on March 22 the health department announced that a resident at Lynden Manor has tested positive for the respiratory illness.
More than 640,500 cases of COVID-19 have been confirmed worldwide, with more than 29,800 deaths as of Saturday morning, according to Johns Hopkins University. The United States has more than 112,400 confirmed cases — the most reported cases of any nation — with at least 1,841 deaths.
Overall, the Washington State Department of Health reported 4,310 cases and 189 deaths as of Saturday afternoon.
Whatcom makes dubious list
The Bellingham metro area — or more specifically Whatcom County — ranked in the bottom 15 metro areas for confirmed COVID-19 cases per 1,000 people, according to statistics published by the New York Times Friday, March 17.
As of Thursday, Whatcom County had 86 confirmed COVID-19 cases. With an approximate population of 226,000, that is 0.38 cases per 1,000 people — 15th worst in the world.
Topping the list was Wuhan, China, where the pandemic was initially centered, with 4.59 cases per 1,000 residents (50,821 cases and a population of 11.1 million). The Lombardy region of Italy was second-worst a 3.48 cases per 1,000 residents (43,016 cases and 10 million in population), followed by New York City at 2.15 (43,016 cases and 20 million in population.)
No. 5 New Orleans (1.32 cases per 1,000), No. 6 Seattle (0.65) and No. 10 Detroit (0.57) also made the lists, as did Mount Vernon-Anacortes (Skagit County) at No. 8 with 0.61 cases per 1,000 residents (78 cases and 128,000 population). All but the top two on the list were American metro area.
The Times noted “the varying rates of testing across states and countries make it hard to compare the number of confirmed cases in different regions” and that per capita death “rates may look high in places where the virus has infiltrated nursing homes, for example, even if it has not spread widely through the rest of the community.”
BEHIND THE STORY
MOREWhat you should know about the coronavirus
COVID-19, the new coronavirus, is a disease caused by a virus named SARS-CoV-2.
The disease is spread through contact between people within six feet of each other, especially through coughing and sneezing that expels respiratory droplets that land in the mouths or noses of people nearby.
Although most of the cases have been mild, the disease is especially dangerous for the elderly and others with weaker immune systems.
Click the drop-down icon in the upper right of this card for more information on symptoms and how to stop its spread.
What you can do
Here’s what you can do to protect yourself and others from COVID-19, according to the Whatcom County Health Department.
▪ Keep six feet between yourself and others when in public.
▪ Wash your hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds.
▪ Don’t touch your eyes, nose or mouth with hands that haven’t been washed.
▪ Cover your mouth and nose with a tissue when you cough or sneeze, throw the tissue in the trash and then wash your hands.
▪ Stay home if you feel sick. Avoid others who are sick.
▪ If your symptoms are severe and require medical care, call your doctor first.
This story was originally published March 28, 2020 at 12:13 PM.
